


Centuries

by celestia193, SilverKitsune2017



Series: The Weight of Centuries [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Character Death, M/M, Mates, Modern Era, Vampire Sex, Warring states period, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-19 12:03:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 118,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13123344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestia193/pseuds/celestia193, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverKitsune2017/pseuds/SilverKitsune2017
Summary: The weight of centuries had separated them. One, old and embittered. One, young and prone to worry. Despite that, Fate had decided to bring them together. He had found him, his ancestor, Sasuke Uchiha, the only remaining ninja hailing from the Warring States Period. The vampire had the face of a youth, but the eyes of an elder. Powerful and arrogant, but kind and protective, an intensely fascinating mind, with extremely dark depths, and darker secrets. Would love be enough to overcome the weight of the centuries that stood between them? Or would it take more to forge a lasting bond?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Celestia193's Author's Note: The first two chapters of this are back-story for the most part, but we’ll do some time-skips to bring the story forward into modern day. This IS a yaoi starring our two favorite Uchiha, but it will take a few chapters for them to meet, being turned in different eras and all. But I hope that you enjoy these exotic twists, because they’ve been very fun to write.
> 
> SilverKitsune2017's Author's Note: In this story, the family tree got switched up quite a bit. We also did a pretty classical take on vampires when it comes to relationships. If that bothers you, you might want to turn back now. For those of you still here, we hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> Disclaimer: We own nothing and make no profit off of any of our stories.

**Edo (Tokyo) - 1603**

A young man with the mask of a bird hiding his face stalks the halls of Edo Castle, the home of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the newly established Shogun of Japan. This was his place, ensuring the continued survival of his clan, even when the other ninja clans of Iga were falling. No matter how harsh the storm, the fire of their clan would not be put out.

By integrating members of the samurai class into the clan, and thus gaining social stability and acceptance, they could continue to bear arms and fight, as they had done for centuries. And by having the ear of the new Shogun through loyal shinobi serving under him and his generals, all would be safe. The Uchiha Clan would be safe as the Edo Period dawned.

And so it was for the clan head’s youngest child, born into the end of the Warring States Period, the warrior who had served under General Totoyomi, and then under Tokugawa, himself, who had him recruited half a decade ago, at the age of thirteen. To have him serve as a spy and assassin.

Sasuke Uchiha took great pride in being among the best his clan had ever produced.

Footsteps echo through the hallway, quiet, but not unheard to the ninja’s ears. And he knew the gait well, it was one of Tokugawa’s retainers. Specifically, it was the retainer always sent for him. His master was calling for him.

“Taka.” The old, white-haired retainer comes to a halt just behind the assassin, kneeling quickly. “My Lord summons you.”

Of course he did. Sasuke had known that the moment he heard those footsteps. “I will join him shortly.” Though he wondered just what his mission would be this time. “Return to your duties.”

“Of course, Sir.” The retainer scurries off in an instant, almost as quickly as a shinobi. Sasuke did find himself wondering just how many of these old retainers were more than they appeared.

Nevertheless, a summons was just that, and it would do no good to ignore it. Thus, Sasuke turns himself down another hallway, leading deeper into the castle, and towards the Shogun’s personal chambers. They never met out in the open, for conversations could easily be overheard. But it was no great secret that Tokugawa had a shadow. The secret was in the identity of that shadow.

Sasuke kneels outside the sliding door at the back of the Shogun’s chambers, only sliding the door open a crack. “You summoned me.”

"Good, you’ve come." Tokugawa's gaze lands on the small crack, revealing Sasuke. "This is Kenji Taira. His clan has decided to join our cause." The shogun smiles at that. "They have vast farming lands, but of course I would like for you to go with him to ensure that there aren't too many pests amongst them." Those who would stand against him. "Rats and insects. Things of that nature."

Spies and assassins. His lord was sending him to clear out the lands of the Taira Clan. He was well aware that the Shogun was scouting the clan, looking for suitable brides for his family. It seemed that this was going to be an act of good faith. “Yes, My Lord.”

Across the small room, on a silken pillow, sat a rather distinguished looking noble. His age was difficult to determine. He carried himself like a man who was the Shogun's age, but his face was younger. Perhaps forty. "It is a pleasure to meet you Taka." He smiles at him with all the cunning charisma of a predator. "I've heard so much about you and how beautifully you fly."

Though he could only be seen through the single small crack, Sasuke could sense the nobleman’s eyes on him, as though they saw through him, and knew far more than they should about him, about what he had done, and what he could do. And those eyes and features…they were so familiar. Perhaps the man was a relation of some of the samurai who had come from neighboring lands like the Taira’s Ise, and joined the clan. But this man…he could have passed himself as Sasuke’s father, and he doubted that any would be the wiser. “I do as I am bid.”

He chuckles at that, as though thoroughly amused by his answer. "Such modesty is unexpected from an accomplished youth such as yourself. I must confess that I did not share such a noble trait in my own youth."

Sasuke remains silent, for it was not his place to comment on such an observation, whether it be true or false. There was something…off about this man, that much, Sasuke knew. And his instincts were a force that he had learned to trust. “How long is this mission to take, Lord Tokugawa?” How long would he have before his Shogun expected him back within the castle?

"As long as as necessary." The Shogun smiles at his shadow. "Though I suspect it shouldn't take more than a lunar cycle at most." That should be enough time, surely.

“As you say, My Lord.” If it was merely a month, he would not need to take a great deal. A horse, and what he could fit in the saddlebags. “When do I depart?”

Kenji smiles at him. "As soon as you're able. I fear that there is much we will have to clear to make the fields well again."

“Understood, Lord Taira.” There was an almost sick kind of thrill that races through Sasuke’s bones. He was a ninja, a shinobi, a warrior who struck in the dead of night. And an assignment was just one more way to excel and prove his worth, to prove that he was as valuable, if not more so than his elder siblings. “I will await you in the stables.” The time to move was now.

* * *

Two weeks passed by in the blink of an eye and while Indra didn't say this much about mortals these days, his descendant did continue to surprise him. He dispatched the ‘insects’ and ‘rats’ with astonishing ease and seemed to take even the smallest task on as if it was the most sacred one possible. He had the eyes of a hawk.

"You've done well." He smiles at him. "The Shogun will be very pleased with your service." Of course, Taka didn't know his true identity. Had he known that Kenji Taira was actually Indra, he likely would have run in terror or tried to slay him. For he was the demon that captivated and terrified in equal measure all who dared to call Japan their home in their dreams.

"Come. Let us dine and we will return to him tomorrow." Indra was a vampire. His kind were few and far between, but that was only to be expected. The wolves should never outnumber the sheep. "It is never a good idea to begin a journey at this hour." It was almost a shame that the boy had been born a sheep when he was just as much a hunter as Indra. It was only that Taka hunted traitors, whereas he hunted for survival (and pleasure).

Taka touches his mask, which he removed only to sleep and to eat. And those were two things he was reluctant to do in the company of others. “The invitation is appreciated, Lord Taira, but I would eat alone.” As he always did.

He shakes his head and smiles at him. "Well forgive an old man, I had to ask." He turns to walk back into the castle. "An old fool such as me does love company. Though I imagine the women back in Edo are rather saddened by your aloof nature."

The young assassin shakes his head ever so slightly. “They do not know I exist.” Such was the life of most ninja, to remain in the shadows until they were called. “I show my face to none but the Shogun, and my clan.”

"You truly are young, if you do not realize women are often even more enamored by a mystery than they are a handsome face." Kenji smiles at him, playing the part of a friendly old lord to perfection, in his mind. "You'll see in time. Goodnight, Taka." And with that, he strides forward towards the grand estate. Until disaster struck.

Screams pierce the air, prompting Taka into action immediately. “Lord Taira, you must return inside, bar the gates, and lock the doors!” The lethal chokuto produces a sharp chime as he unsheathes it. He could see forms in the darkness of the town, approaching the estate like ghosts in the night.

Indra smirks at that. This boy truly had no idea who he was addressing. "It would be more prudent for you to follow that advice." Perhaps, he had been forced to unveil his hand sooner than expected, but that was no matter.

Despite the ‘warning’, Taka snaps his sword to the side, before racing into the darkness, relying on his hearing more than his sight. There were four, five, no…there were six attackers. Rats, the lot of them. Insects buzzing around his lord’s ally. It could not be allowed to stand.

But, from the darkness emerges a seventh figure, close to Indra, knowing full well that this man was not of the Taira Clan, though he might have convinced them that was the case. “It has been some time, hasn’t it, Lord Indra Ootsutsuki?” A pale face with yellow eyes emerges from the darkness, watching the young shinobi curiously. “And it would appear that you’ve obtained a new plaything.”

"It has been a while." He barely refrains form rolling his eyes. Indra would have preferred never to see this particular immortal again. "Accurate enough, but it seems you have obtained several." The elder vampire smirks. "Orochimaru, when are you going to learn that it is not the quantity of followers one obtains that matters, it is the quality?" The other vampire had delusions of grandeur. He would never be Indra's equal, but he was a cunning thing. Cunning enough to be at least mildly irritating.

“Quality, hm…? Perhaps that would be so, if that were not clearly a human.” Orochimaru’s eyes glitter at the sight of the child charging his fledglings. He was quite a spirited little thing. And had good instincts, if the trouble he was giving Kidomaru was any indication. “I wonder how the boy appears behind that mask. From what I see, he appears quite…delicious.” And feisty, too, to be able to dodge Kidomaru’s claws and fangs, and stab that sword through the young vampire’s chest.

This time Indra really did roll his eyes. "Then your children are truly weak, if they can barely handle one human." He would have to go to Taka. To protect him. He wouldn't allow this snake to have him.

Yellow eyes glow brightly in the darkness, and most of the screams fade to nothing, the rest of his ‘children’ coming. A silent command to his coven of fledglings to take the young one, or kill him. It would be a pity to waste the scraps, but Orochimaru was sure that he could salvage a little of the blood that Indra seemed so attached to. “Tell me, what does he taste like?”

"He tastes like your death." Indra smirks as he lunges forwards. "You shouldn't challenge your betters. It will never end well for you."

Orochimaru bares his fangs, his glowing eyes filled with rage and envy. Indra was the bane of his existence, and the greatest obstacle on his way to the height of vampire society. Fortunately, he was fast, and it wouldn’t be so easy for Indra to catch him. “And you should take care not to underestimate youth!”

"I never underestimate youth." His fangs gleam in the moonlight. "You merely overestimate your own worth. It's a common mistake for children to make." It was time that he taught this child why he ruled these lands and Orochimaru was nothing more than a promising upstart. "Allow me to correct your inaccuracies by sending you straight to the underworld!" And with that, the two vampires clash.

It was a flurry of fangs and claws, and the cold, sluggish blood of a vampire. Orochimaru’s feral hissing, a sound uncharacteristic of a vampire, fills the air, along with the scent of iron as he drives his claws towards Indra’s face. And in the background, there were the dying screams of the twin, silver-haired vampires.

Indra was less than pleased by the clawing of his face, so he bites into one of Orochimaru's hands. "You'll rue the day you challenged your superior." He snarls around the flesh as he tears it off. "Let this be a lesson to you. Call off your children and I still might spare you."

Hissing at the deep bite marks in his hand, Orochimaru makes to plunge his hand into Indra’s chest, or at least attempt to reach for Indra’s heart. Really, this man was nothing short of a demon in human form. Though perhaps they really were demons at times.

And that’s when a scream ripped through the air, and the scent of human blood made Orochimaru’s nostrils tingle. The snake-like vampire turns his eyes towards his four remaining fledglings, who have begun swarming the human. Blood had been spilled, and they wanted to drink it. “It would seem that your little human is no match for my fledglings after all.”

"Six vampires against one human. You must be so proud of your trash." Indra hisses as he flits over towards the ninja and vampires, easily tearing off their heads in a matter of seconds. "One should take more heed to keep a tidy house." His fangs were still bared at Orochimaru as he bites his arm, forcing himself to bleed and shoving the blood into Taka's mouth. "Perhaps, I'll let him dine on you for his first meal." He smirks. There were few things more vicious than a recently turned vampire.

His minions were dead, standing no chance against the ancient vampire, and the boy was worthless to him, dead or a vampire. And, caring nothing for the bodies of his fallen fledglings, Orochimaru disappears back into the darkness to the sounds of the boy choking on blood.

* * *

And choking, Sasuke was, but mostly on his own blood, not even tasting the extra blood dripping into his mouth. His chest was bloodied, and his mask lay shattered on the ground as his dark eyes wandered over the face of the man above him. “F-failed.” Dying before completing his mission, or before returning to his liege was failing.

"You didn't fail." Indra smiles at the poor boy. "This is only the beginning."

Coughing up a huge glob of blood, spattering it all over his front, he shudders violently. “S-Sasuke.” Just speaking was a battle. “U-Uchiha. From…I-Iga. F-Father is-” He coughs again, the trembling of his hands weakening. “C-Clan Head. M-Madara U-Uchiha.”

He holds him quietly, stroking the boy’s hair. "I already knew that. My true name is Indra and now, you are the closest thing I have to a son." He was his blood and his childe. This one had...potential.

“I-Indra?” Despite everything, Sasuke still stubbornly clung to life, even as his body began to lose its warmth, his heart stuttering and slowing. “W-what are…you?”

"A vampire. And now, you will be as well." Indra sighs as he looks down at him. "Don't fight it and it will be easier." He didn't enjoy seeing his descendant in pain.

Sasuke’s eyes widen, his heartbeat increasing just for a moment, before he takes one last shuddering breath, the light of his life flickering out as he goes limp and still, no longer breathing as his warmth fades slowly into the night air.

Indra sighs at Sasuke's motionless form and carries him back into the estate. His servants knew better than to question him. "I will need blood brought to me." He glances towards the compelled human. "In a glass." A newborn vampire wouldn't have control. Any feeder that got near Sasuke when he woke up would be drained dry.

“Yes, sir.” One of the servants, the feeders, races off to the kitchen to fetch the glass. Very few knew that the Taira lord was a vampire, and all were under his thrall. If their lord had taken on a childe, it was their duty to take care of them.

"Well if nothing else, I do have good servants." He smiles as he takes Sasuke to his bedchambers and lays the man on his bed.

The boy’s face was already naturally pale, but looked even paler under the light, against his raven hair. Eighteen, no older, but already a beautiful young man. Aristocratic, almost regal features that suited Kyoto’s imperial court, more than being hidden behind a mask, never to be seen.

He chuckles at that, feeling an odd surge of something that he supposed was akin to fatherly pride. "Well, he certainly does take after my side of the family." Indra could see why he wore the mask now. He'd never get anything done, if he didn't.

* * *

His head hurt. That was the first thing he knew. Everything else was…fuzzy, at best. He…wait. Who was he? He winces, slowly opening his eyes, only for the light to burn them. …Sasuke…his name was Sasuke. Uchiha. He was…a ninja, right? Everything was so fuzzy. And his head ached like it had been struck with the broad side of a katana.

And his throat was so dry that opening his mouth to breathe better made it feel like it had been filled with sand. He hadn’t been to a beach recently, had he? Where…was he, anyway?

"Easy, you've just made the transition." Indra smiles at him as he holds a flask to his lips. "Drink this, you'll feel better."

Sasuke opens his lips obediently, letting the liquid within the flask slide slowly past his lips. It was…the taste was very difficult to describe. It was good, like expensive sake, but it was like nothing he’d ever tasted before.

"Good. Just keep drinking. It will make you strong." It was a good sign that Sasuke wasn’t protesting his first feeding. Indra would have had to resort to underhanded measures, if he had.

More of the liquid hits Sasuke’s throat, and he nearly chokes on it, before gulping it all down. He didn’t feel…warm, exactly, but he felt…tingly. And it made his heart- His eyes flash open as he sits up, only for him to close them again against the harsh light.

…He couldn’t hear his own heartbeat. He couldn’t feel it. “What happened? Why am I…?” Sasuke was so confused. And his skin felt…cold? Was he sick?

"You're now a vampire." The child must have realized his heart wasn't beating. "That's why your heart no longer beats and it never will again." Indra watches him with wary eyes, half expecting a panic. "You were attacked by vampires and I had two choices. I could change you or I could let you die. But as my blood runs in your veins and you fought so valiantly, I chose the former."

He was…he was a vampire!? And those people from last night, the ones who couldn’t seem to die, they were… “…Is that why it seems as though I stare into the sun every time I open my eyes?”

He nods at his childe. "That's right. It can be overwhelming at first, but eventually you do adjust to your heightened senses." He smiles at him, trying to offer reassurance. "The first days are the worst. After that, most think that they were practically blind and deaf as mortals, compared to now."

Mortals…humans…he wasn’t… Sasuke lowers his head, eyes opening only a little as his hands grip the blanket on his lap. “You said that your blood…runs in my veins?” He was descended from a vampire? Those were supposed to be myths, coming along the Silk Road from the West. “How?”

"Before I was turned into a vampire, I did sire a son. You are from that mortal's line." Indra remembered the babe, holding his son, raising the boy, and being turned when his son was grown.

That made sense. Sasuke just wasn’t certain how he was supposed to feel about that sort of revelation. He was…supposedly, anyway, immortal, undying, no longer truly alive. “…How long will I remain here.”

"Well that depends on how long it takes you to control your newfound abilities and thirst and how long you wish to stay here." Indra watches him carefully for any sign of anger or panic.

Sasuke’s wants and wishes aside, and even his thirst, he couldn’t stay more than two weeks, at the most. “The Shogun will be expecting my return before the moon is full again.” And if he didn’t return, it would be assumed that he was a traitor. “My clan…they need me to remain with the Shogun.”

"It wouldn't be advisable." He shakes his head. "We can fake your death so no fault will be given to your clan."

Despite the pain in his eyes, so used to the darkness, Sasuke opens them fully, glaring at his ancestor in the harsh, dim light. “I made an oath to serve the Shogun. That may mean nothing to a vampire, but when a shinobi makes their oath, they do NOT break it.”

"If you go to him now, you're very likely to kill him and break your oath in a far more permanent fashion." Indra frowns at him. "It is your choice, but I wouldn't recommend it."

Sasuke grits his teeth, his hands clenching almost painfully. It was true. If he returned…he might very well kill those that he was supposed to protect. If he returned, he could very well kill the Shogun, if he did not, he would be a traitor, no matter how Indra justified it.

Indra… Sasuke blinks, a potential alternative coming to mind. He turns to his ancestor, surprised by the red eyes for a moment, but only for a moment. “The Shogun believes that you are Lord Kenji Taira?”

He nods at that. "Yes, he does." Though Indra failed to see how that mattered in this circumstance.

“Then ask him to give me to you.” It was the only way Sasuke could see to preserve his honor, that of his clan, and preserve his oath as well. “A year, two, three, however many you believe it will take. To him, you are a noble. It could be construed as a sign of good faith. And it would allow me to return when I am able to…control myself.”

"I can do that." He shakes his head. "I would estimate at least five, if you don't have control by then...well I suppose I can ask for more time or we can fake your death."

“I will have control by then.” Of that, Sasuke was certain. “A shinobi trains their entire life to achieve peerless self-discipline. Applying those principles to learning how to be a perfect vampire should not be too difficult.”

Indra smiles at that. He truly did have his spirit. "Good. I'll hold you to that." Though the boy really had no idea what he had just gotten himself into.

For the next two and a half centuries, the appearance of a hawk foretold death. A demon, known only as Taka, a monster that drank the blood of its victims, would secretly serve the Shogunate until its fall. Then, disappear into the pages of history, as nothing more than a forgotten myth.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celestia193's Author's Note: Now, we see an entirely different turning. Yes, Kakashi has a place in New York, but he has one in California as well (New York is just a bit less sunny).

**Los Angeles - Present Day (over 400 years later…)**

Itachi smiles as he pours himself a glass of bloodwine. He loved the combination of the two liquids together. Separately they were wonderful, but together they were exquisite. Besides, he had to entertain himself somehow while Kakashi was on the phone.

As it would have been rude to eavesdrop, the vampire had gone to the kitchen to get a drink. The phone call must have been important because the silver haired man was whispering. Whispering meant that it was an interesting conversation.

“Itachi.” Kakashi’s eyes glimmer with amusement as he walks into the kitchen. “Breaking out the bloodwine already?” He was glad, of course, that Itachi had a healthy appetite for blood. It just seemed odd that he would start the day, well, night off by drinking. The night was young, and there was so much that could be done. Not that Kakashi wouldn’t break out the bloodwine himself, the Italian wines were his personal favorite.

"Well I needed something to do while you were gossiping on the phone with God knows who." He smiles playfully at the other vampire.

“Well, if you’re not interested, then I guess there’s no need to share any of that gossip with you.” Not that Kakashi gave out secrets like candy, but he found it fun to rile up his childe.

Itachi feigns disinterest. "I never said that I wouldn't listen to any of the gossip." He shrugs casually. "Just that I was giving you your privacy. I'm quite certain that you will fully brief me on anything that you feel I need to know."

“Well, you’re right about that.” Kakashi’s attitude sobers a little. “And there might be a couple of things that you need to know. It’s good news, actually. It’s about your family.” Family that Itachi had told Kakashi long ago that he no longer had.

"Kakashi, I'm over seventy years old." He shakes his head. "And the only vampire in my family." The math was rather easy to do. "I don't have any living family, except for you." He smiles at Kakashi. "You are my family." And he had been so for decades.

* * *

**_Florida - 1969_ **

_They had done it! They had landed a man on the Moon. It was an incredible accomplishment and one that would go down in history, Itachi thought to himself as he cheered with the other scientists and engineers in the room._

_At the age of twenty-five, he probably shouldn't have been there. He was though. Itachi had proven himself in record time and managed to get put on the project. The one that only a decade before had seemed nearly impossible, but that was no longer the case. Humans were no longer confined to just Earth now. They could truly reach for the stars!_

_"Come on! Lets go celebrate this properly!" One of the other engineers laughed. "I think that we all deserve a damn good drink after that!"_

_It hadn't taken long for the others to agree and before Itachi knew it, they were all at a bar. Everyone was jubilant. Their spirits had never been higher and one could almost get intoxicated off of the feeling of accomplishment alone. Though most were getting intoxicated off of far more than that._

_The fact was, the astronauts could parade around all they liked, but the success of the mission was owed solely to the physicists and engineers who built and tested everything to make sure that it could all hold up to the stress of space travel. And every scientist in the bar that night knew it. They knew it so well that in addition to the sense of pride and accomplishment, and the alcohol in their systems, they were riding high on adrenaline and dopamine. It was something of a beautiful madness as they celebrated the success of the Apollo missions._

_He had never felt such pride and such an adrenaline rush before. Most of the night was spent backslapping his colleagues or dancing with beautiful strangers as Itachi partook in far more alcohol than he had ever had before. It was wonderful. Until the bar had closed down and they were all trying to hail taxis for themselves without success._

_Little did the unfortunate group of friends and colleagues know…they were being watched. Watched by many pairs of eyes, gleaming from within the shadows. This was their time, their time to hunt, to feed, to kill humans as they wished. And why not? They were clearly the superior species. Why not indulge in all that the night had to offer?_

_"Well I'm sure if we wait long enough, a cab will come back." He shakes his head. "Or we'll have to walk to the gas station and call for one." At the time, Itachi hadn't been frightened._

_He should have been. They ALL should have been frightened. “Hey, at least we had fun!” Their highly intoxicated astrophysicist giggles a little as he sways slightly. “We deserve it after all the crap we went through putting their damn rocket together!”_

_Itachi laughs and nods at that. "Yes, we most certainly do." It was just the way of things. The astronauts would be the ones most remembered by history and they would be little more than a footnote, but Itachi was happy with that. Happy to have been part of something wonderful._

_Something wonderful…that came crashing down in an instant as one of the physicists falls to the ground, unable to even scream. His head rolls across the sidewalk, blood spilling from the neck, and something…no, someone, a being with glowing eyes DRINKING it!_

_"RUN!" That was the first word out of Itachi's mouth. "Hurry!" It was an instinct, he supposed. There was no helping the decapitated man. He was dead, but they didn't have to die tonight!_

_The eyes that glowed red in the darkness, a bloody scarlet filled with a lust for blood, said otherwise. “Foolish humans.” A terrifying chorus of laughs echoes through the night as the beings with glowing eyes surround the fleeing, screaming humans, seizing most of them in an inhumanly powerful grip._

_"Let go of them!" Itachi did the only thing he could at the moment. "Now!" He grabbed the nearest object he could find and threw it at one of the vampires. A trashcan. Perhaps, it was not the most heroic 'weapon', but it would have to do._

_It bounces off the nearest vampire, startling her, but doing no real damage. “So you wish to be next, boy?” She disappears from in front of him, reappearing just behind and seizing his wrists with one hand, clasping her hand around his throat. “So brave…I’m sure that you’ll taste very sweet when I drain the blood from your veins.”_

_"W-What the hell are you?!" This wasn't normal. "Let go of me, you freak!" He raises his knee and tries to kick her in the stomach, seeing that she had him by the throat and would probably block any punches. But even that attempt failed as she immobilized his leg with one of her own._

_“I am what you are taught to fear.” Her dark, ebony hair shines dimly in the light of the street-lamps. “The monster in the darkness.” She bares her fangs, gliding them along the curve of Itachi’s neck, eyes taking in the sight of the humans all around them, dying at the hands of her comrades, bodies going limp as they were being slowly drained of their blood. After all, they were young vampires, and they needed to feed. No mortal laws would stop them. And she did so love the taste of terror in a human’s blood. “I am a vampire, and you are my prey.”_

_No, she was a very sick woman and so were her friends. "What you all are is psychotic and you should all be locked in intensive psychiatric care for treatment!" They must have sharped their teeth or something. There was no way they were actually vampires, even if the freaks were drinking blood. "Let me go!"_

_“Stop fussing, it will hurt less that way.” As the human in her grasp struggled, she raised her foot, bringing it down on the bone of his right leg, shattering it. Pain and fear made blood taste so sweet. And so she knew, as she plunged sharp fangs into the young man’s neck._

_He screams in agony as he desperately fights to get the woman off of him. "Stop it!" Itachi knew that without a shadow of a doubt, he was going to die soon, if he didn't free himself._

_Her grip tightens, holding him firmly in place as the sweet taste of blood rolls over her tongue. What a foolish little human this one was, to think that he could fight a vampire. They were at the top of the food chain. And humans…well, they were almost at the bottom._

_That was when three of the vampires dropped to the ground, bodies still as their heads rolled across the asphalt. Decapitated in the blink of an eye. “If I were you, I would release the child, Kitasha.” A darkened figure moves in the shadows, the glint of a sword visible under the dimming lights._

_His murderer's name was Kitasha, Itachi thinks to himself as everything goes blurry. Someone had come to rescue them, but it was too late. At least, the bitch would end up in prison though. That was something. And that was the conscious thought he had on his mind before everything went black._

* * *

 

_Kakashi watched as the boy’s body went limp. It was unfortunate, he was too late to prevent this slaughter. He’d gotten wind of a coven of baby vampires wandering around, and he’d been tracking them for days. He had hoped to catch them before they produced any more bodies, but it seemed that they had committed another slaughter. Still, their blood march would end here._

_Still, he could prevent it from happening again. And honestly…four against one weren’t very good odds. Not for his opponents, at least. “Whoever sired you must have been an irresponsible twat.” Hadn’t the devastation and horde of vampires created during the last war been enough?_

_“It doesn't matter who sired us." Kitasha smirks as she charges at Kakashi. "You know, I've never had vampire blood before."_

_“And you won’t be starting now.” Kakashi sidesteps the charge, cutting upwards with his katana in a single smooth slashing motion, slicing cleanly through Kitasha’s arm. A newborn vampire was no match for him, and the bitch should have known that._

_She screams in agony at the loss of her limb and flies into a rage. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Such a move wouldn't kill her, but that didn't make it any less painful._

_“No, I won’t.” With age, came power. And Kakashi was at least three times as fast as this newborn. Fast enough that he was nothing more than a blur of black and silver, slicing through the darkness with his sword as the three other newborns lunge at him, only to meet their end by his blade. This was why newborns shouldn’t challenge their elders. They more often than not…died._

_While he didn’t usually indulge in torturing his enemies, Kakashi would make an exception here for how Kitasha tortured the young human before he fell. Which is why the next things to go, as she lunges at him, are her legs. “You are a hundred years too early to be challenging the likes of me.” He was a trained samurai. She was not._

_"Bastard!" She might die today, but she would drag him straight to Hell with her! Kitasha's fangs snap everywhere, trying to dig into him._

_Kakashi pushes what’s left of Kitasha to the ground, pointing his sword at her throat as she writhes there helplessly. Vampires could heal from a great many wounds, but severed limbs were another matter entirely. Magic could restore them, but they would not simply grow back on their own. “Do you have any final words?” He raises his sword, ready to end her life in an instant._

_"Go to Hell!" Kitasha seethes at him. "You're a traitor to your own kind!"_

_“Hardly.” Kakashi shakes his head. “I simply take after my Sire.” He struck down his enemies, whether they be mortal or immortal. “And you have gone after humans, killing left and right. The last thing that our kind needs is a band of rippers running about. It would bring the wrath of the other magical races down upon us. And that makes YOU the traitor, not me.” Kakashi twirls his sword in his hand, bringing it down on her neck, severing her head cleanly from her body. A pity. She was rather attractive, but she had wasted both her life, and her last words._

_As the vampiress’ blood spills across the ground, Kakashi turns his sight onto the mangled and broken human bodies. Dead, every last one of them. Some had been ripped apart, others just drained…it was nothing short of a massacre._

_Sighing, he slashes his sword through the air, flicking all of the blood from it, before sheathing it. “Unfortunate…” He would have to report this immediately. That way, the mess could be cleaned up before the human authorities got involved._

_Then, he hears a breath. It was faint, but it was followed by another not long after. Kakashi’s eyes widen as he searches the human bodies again, looking for the source. It was the boy, the youngest of the lot. Maybe twenty-five at the very most. “He’s alive.” But only just. He probably didn’t have long now._

_Kakashi approaches the barely breathing body curiously. Clearly, there were many bones broken, and the human was obviously running short on blood. Unless he got multiple transfusions in the next five minutes, he wouldn’t survive long enough to have the bones set, and his skin sewn back together. And there’s no way that an ambulance would arrive in time._

_So, he kneels next to the young man, brushing bloodied hair from the pale face. “…It can’t be…” That was impossible. Getting a closer look at him…the human looked like…HIM. The traces were there, but only just. “Can you hear me?” He taps the human’s face in an attempt to provoke a conscious reaction. “Child, can you hear me?”_

* * *

_He was drifting in a sea of blackness. The pain was gone here, until he heard a voice. Was he dead yet? He must be. Had he gone upstairs, downstairs, or was he being reincarnated? Was this all that existed after death? A sea of blackness?_

_Hesitantly he opened his eyes slowly. So very slowly. "Y-Yes." It barely qualified as a whisper really but maybe the other man had heard him or at least seen his lips move._

_“Well, it seems that you’re a strong one. I honestly expected you to be dead by now.” The samurai places a hand on the human’s forehead, feeling the dropping temperature of his skin. “You don’t have long now.” There’s silence for a moment. “But if you wish, I can save you. In exchange, you must come with me. I will take care of you, teach you, and you will live for a very long time, be able to do whatever you want.”_

_At this point, Itachi wasn't sure if the man was real or if he was hallucinating from blood loss. Maybe, he was a guardian angel, sent to take him to the afterlife or a clever demon trying to trick him. Though the first option seemed unlikely, if he was able to focus this much. "Y-Yes." He couldn't say more than that. The words just wouldn't come out. It was so exhausting just to keep his eyes open. Every word felt as though he were running a marathon._

_“Good boy.” Kakashi bites into his wrist, holding the bleeding appendage to Itachi’s mouth. “Drink, and then go to sleep. You’ll be well again when you wake.” He strokes the boy’s hair, trying to soothe the fear he sensed pouring off the child._

_He normally would have repulsed or asked questions. Itachi was too tired to do so. So he drank, and he drank…_

_And when Kakashi was satisfied that Itachi had consumed enough blood, he drew away his hand pressing his fingers to Itachi’s neck, and breaking it in an instant with a flick of his wrist. It was what his own Sire had done for him, after the man’s own ‘death’ had been long and drawn out. This way, the boy would feel less pain. The body would heal, but there was no need for the pain._

_The boy stills beneath him, so Kakashi removes a pendant from around his neck, pressing it like an emergency button, and letting it glow for a few moments, before tucking it back into his shirt. A group of witches would come to clean this up. It was better for all of them that the humans not know what occurred tonight._

_Besides… He picks his newborn up in his arms, his vampiric strength not bothered at all by the weight, and turns towards the apartment that he had rented in Orlando. He had a home in New York, and one in Los Angeles, but they were both in the wrong corners of the country._

_Hm…maybe he should look into getting a beach house in Miami. A vampire going to the beach, what an amusing thought._

* * *

_A few hours later, Itachi opens his eyes and immediately wishes he hadn't done that. "AHHH!" He was nearly blinded by the light from a nearby lamp and for some reason, the sound from what he was sure was a television felt so loud that it was making his ears pound. That and he could smell well everything. Including something that he would describe as a minty scent?_

_“It’s alright, you’re fine.” Rough hands, but a gentle, firm touch cover Itachi’s eyes, holding him down to the bed. “You’re in transition, everything will be very intense to you for some time. But you’re safe, that’s what matters.” Kakashi keeps his voice low, knowing the pain firsthand of adjusting to the heightened senses. “Would you like a blindfold?”_

_"A blindfold would be nice." In transition? What did that mean? Had it all been real, after all? Itachi was wondering if it had been a nightmare._

_Yet another trick that Kakashi had learned from his Sire, he has a dark, thin blindfold prepared, enough to block out most light, but not obscure vision completely. He wraps the cloth around Itachi’s head, obscuring his eyes. “Is that better? You should be able to see, but only just.” Not that it mattered, vampires were used to seeing in the dark._

_It was better. "Yes, that's better." Where was he? The other man said he was somewhere safe, but that could have been anywhere._

_“Good.” Kakashi sits by his newborn’s side, patting his head softly. “Now, are you hungry? Thirsty?”_

_"My throat feels like it's burning." It was a sensation that was similar to thirst, but at least a thousand times worse than any he had ever experienced before._

_“Yes…that’s how it starts.” Kakashi sighs, shaking his head. “I don’t have any bloodwine with me. I hadn’t expected to have a newborn on my hands.” He bites his wrist, letting the smell of blood fill the air as he holds it in front of Itachi’s nose. “But this is what you need to drink.”_

_Itachi knew that it should have repulsed him, but instead he found himself salivating and he could swear his teeth were getting longer as he sank them into the man's wrist and drank. Deeply._

_The older vampire nods, running gentle fingers through Itachi’s hair. This would be a trying time for the new vampire, and it was Kakashi’s duty to see the child through it. “Very good. For now, drink only from me. It will sate your thirst quicker than human blood, and it will help to teach you control. The last thing we need is you running around, killing humans like the newborns from last night.”_

_After drinking more blood than was probably safe for a human, Itachi pulls himself away. "This is really happening?" It wasn't just a nightmare? He was drinking another man's blood and enjoying it?!_

_Kakashi nods. “Yes, it is. I had much the same reaction as you when I was turned.” And so had his Sire, from what he could tell. “Are you feeling better now?”_

_"About as well as can be expected, given the situation." He was grateful for his care, but on the inside Itachi was panicking. "You saved my life though...thank you."_

_“Well, sort of.” Kakashi tilts his head, smiling ruefully. “You’re not actually alive anymore. Your heart stopped once I broke your neck.”_

_He was...still conscious though. "Well there's apparently a difference between being dead and dead, dead." That sounded absurd, but apparently it was true._

_The silver-haired vampire chuckles. “Well, yes, there is. I think that the terms are dead, and undead.” That was the lingo that the kids used these days, right? “What do you know of vampires? Save for what you learned of them last night, when you were attacked.”_

_"Just...what I've seen in movies." Mostly horror ones. "And read in a few books." Mostly romance novels. Itachi doubted either were very accurate._

_“So…essentially nothing but a few of the basics.” Kakashi sighs, frustrated by how humans could get things so utterly wrong. So, reaching over to the bedside table, he turns off the light, dimming the room to a slight glow, as the sunlight just barely crept around the edges of the thick curtains. It was like sitting in a dimly lit basement. “There, your eyes should have settled a little, and it should be no brighter to you than walking into your bedroom and turning on a lamp. But unless you want to burn yourself to a crisp, I wouldn’t suggest going to the window.”_

_He couldn't go out in the sunlight anymore? "Is that just immediately after I turn or permanent?" That was more than a little depressing._

_“Well, it lasts for a while after you turn, but it’s not permanent.” The child was taking this better than Kakashi expected. “You simply need time to build up an immunity to it. But it will probably take you a few years before your skin stops burning as soon as it touches you. But after the first few months, you should be in no danger of disintegrating.”_

_"D-Disintegrating?!" That was not a word that an engineer ever wanted to hear. "You mean it would literally turn me to ash?!" Especially, not when it was being applied to THEM!_

_“Not if you stay out of the sun, but if you decide to go sunbathing…” Kakashi grimaces as he reaches for the blindfold, slowly sliding it from Itachi’s eyes in the near-darkness. “Well, it wouldn’t be pretty. You would be a pile of ashes in less than five seconds, you might as well throw yourself into a volcano. And you wouldn’t be the first newborn to commit suicide by sunlight exposure.”_

_Well that was good to know. "Thanks for the warning." Though Itachi had no idea what he was expected to do after that._

_Kakashi examines the dark eyes that are so eerily familiar, the red glow of the bloodlust gone from them. “Tell me, what is your name, child?”_

_"Itachi and I'm not a child." He was twenty-five!_

_The samurai smirks at the young one’s indignation. “It is nice to meet you, Itachi. I am Kakashi Hatake, I hail from the Aizu Domain, what you would now call eastern Japan.” Itachi would likely be curious about that eventually. “I am your Sire, and you are my Childe.”_

_Right this wasn't weird. "I’m Itachi. I hail from California, what you would know as California." Nope, not weird at all._

_Kakashi chuckles, raising a hand to ruffle Itachi’s hair. “Right, my apologies, I sometimes forget that I’m no longer in Edo. I was born…a very long time ago, and my English tends to be rather formal at times, after spending so long in Britain. I will try to speak in a more modern fashion.”_

_"It's alright." He was perfectly understandable, if a little awkward. "As long as I understand the gist of what you are saying, I'm not picky." Itachi was a little embarrassed by the exchange, though._

_“I see.” The older vampire smiles, a little sadly. “Now, I assume that you have an apartment close by?”_

_"I have a house, actually." It was a relatively modest house since he was so young, but he had gotten quite the good deal on it._

_Now that actually impressed Kakashi a little. “To be able to afford a house at your age is…impressive.” Working for NASA must have paid very well. “But as Florida is a little on the sunny side, what would you say to moving to New York?” His brownstone was more than large enough to keep a newborn from getting into trouble._

_Itachi pauses. His life was here, but he was dead now. "I'd say that sounds fine to me." Did really matter where he learned how not to turn into a vicious coldblooded monster? "Just the state or were you referring to the city?"_

_“I have a brownstone mansion in Brooklyn. It’s spelled so that I can put up barriers to keep vampires in or out.” It was really just a precautionary measure, for the most part, but one could never be too safe. “So if you’re worried about going on a rampage and attacking people, know that I can easily just ground you, and we can work through your rages.”_

_"That'd probably be best for now." It stung his pride, but that didn't make it less true._

_“Alright, then I’ll go to pack up your things today.” Kakashi was certain that he could have the entire home packed by afternoon. “We can leave once the sun sets.” It was best not to linger long. “Do you have any family that I should be aware of? Someone who could walk in on me?”_

_"I don't have any living relatives left." He sighs and shakes his head. "I'm lucky enough at the moment not to have a wife or any children either." That would have killed him all over again, if he had to leave them. "And most of my friends that would look for me were killed by those demons. It's just me."_

_Kakashi’s heart aches a little, even if it hasn’t beat in almost a century and a half. “I see…” It was a story he’d heard…even witnessed before. “…No amount of sympathy will make up for what you’ve lost. And for what it’s worth, I know the feeling all too well.” He wraps his arms around the young man before him. “But being a ‘demon’ isn’t so bad. It can be quite exhilarating, if you let it. And just think, you’re stuck with me for the next couple of decades, at least.”_

_"..." Itachi pauses. "Are you...hitting on me?" It sounded like he was. The new vampire had heard whispers of such things. About men who liked men (or women who liked women). Though he had never really investigated the matter thoroughly himself before._

_“No, not on my childe.” Kakashi chuckles at the thought. “But most newborns choose to stay close to their Sires, if given the choice. I stayed with my own Sire for the better part of eighty years.”_

_Eighty years?! "I see. That sounds like quite a long time." He smiles a bit nervously. "You must really be fond of him."_

_“Yes…” Kakashi smiles at the thought of the vampire who once did the very same for him. “I am. But to a vampire, eighty years is a fairly short period of time. After all, that’s less than half my life. Perhaps one day…you’ll meet him.”_

_"Maybe." Though day seemed far off to Itachi._

* * *

“Yes, that might be the case.” Kakashi would not contest that he and Itachi were family, but…there was more to the story now. “I had your DNA tested by one of the witches here in Los Angeles. And…you do still have two existing relatives.”

He blinks and looks at Kakashi like he was insane. "Impossible. I never had any children." He would have known.

“They’re not descendants of yours.” Kakashi shoots his childe a sheepish smile. “They’re your ancestors. Vampires, both of them.”

"Oh." Itachi blinks. "I hadn't really considered that possibility." Ancestors. The word ancestors implied these were at a minimum in his great grandparents' generation or older.

“Well, I don’t blame you. After all, they’re a bit…older than I am.” And he was two hundred and fourteen years old, which wasn’t insignificant. “The younger of the two is double my age. The elder, over a thousand years old.”

Itachi suddenly felt a little lightheaded. "Over a thousand years old?" And the ‘baby’ was over four hundred! These two vampires would likely have no clue who he was and even if they did, he couldn't imagine they'd be interested in him.

“Something like that, though I’ve never personally met the man. Indra is…a difficult vampire to get a hold of at the best of times. He’s ancient, by anyone’s standards.” But that wasn’t who he was most interested in. “But…I have recently acquired a means of contacting the younger one, and I think that he would be very interested in meeting you, assuming that I reach him.”

"How do you know the younger one?" Kakashi was old enough that it was rare for anyone to take him lightly, but this one made the man look like a teenager at best.

Kakashi smiles slyly. “Well, I know him because he’s my Sire.”

THUD! That was enough to knock Itachi right on his ass.

The older vampire takes that as a sign to make the call.

* * *

An ancient chokuto flashes through the air as a young man flows through the traditional poses of a fighting style unique to the extinct Uchiha Clan of Iga and Edo. The movements are flawless, practiced, as though he had spent centuries mastering them.

A hawk mask rested on the far wall, hanging over a folded pile of black clothing. Numerous weapons sit in the glass cases, most of them untouched for decades, some, for over a century. There was no need to touch them, as no one in the house had gone to war since the fall of the Shogunate. There had been no one in the house to fight. Not until the young man had finally returned home.

On one of the benches lining the dojo, a cell-phone vibrates, easily catching the attention of the practicing youth, who glares at the phone. He had given his number to a select few people, and none of them would be calling him right now.

Putting down the sword, he walks towards the bench, flipping the phone into his hand as he frowns at the number. He recognized it. So he slides his finger across the screen, accepting the call. “How did you get this number, Kakashi?”

"Sasuke, you're my Sire." A chuckle is heard through the phone. "The bond between a Sire and their childe is unbreakable. Besides, you aren't the only one with connections."

The old vampire places his sword back in its sheath, before returning it to its rack on the wall. “Alright, you found me. Is it business again?” He hadn’t heard from Kakashi in several decades. Not that he had made himself an easy vampire to find. Sasuke was rather determined not to socialize with people more than he had to, and those few times that he did, it was either business, or his ‘friends’ dragging him out to have some ‘fun’.

The silver haired vampire shakes his head. "No. This is more personal." He smiles slyly on the other hand. "Though I guess you could say it is family business."

That was…odd, even by Kakashi standards. “Has Indra resurfaced?” His own Sire would occasionally disappear for a few decades, before reappearing in the world as a noble or aristocrat, or more recently, an extremely rich author. An ancient vampire had to find some way to spend their time. “Or have you finally found yourself a Mate?”

A Mate was something that every old vampire longed for, after they got past the bloodlust. If you were lucky, you found the perfect one for you. If you weren’t…well, there was a reason that so many ancient vampires had a tendency to become apathetic, bored, uncaring, restless, lonely…and eventually find a way to self-destruct. No Sire wanted that for their childe. But it usually wasn’t the childe who was in danger of it. Still, Sasuke did hold out some hope that Kakashi would find someone for himself. Someone to spend the centuries with.

"A Mate?" The other vampire laughs softly. "No. I'm still quite content to be a bachelor for the moment. No, it's more that well I suppose congratulations are in order." He pauses as he does the math. "I think you're something like a ten times great-grandfather."

Sasuke sighs, shaking his head. “I’ve told you already, Kakashi, I never had any ‘children’, apart from you. I was turned before I had the chance to marry, and I definitely didn’t sire any bastard children. Besides, the last of the Uchiha Clan was wiped out nearly a hundred and fifty years ago.” He knew, because he’d been the one who had tried to save them. He’d failed.

"It seems you're wrong." How could Kakashi explain this? "One of your relatives managed to flee that night during the end of the war and continued on the family line. He assumed a fake name and in those days, well no one could really prove who you were or weren't." You were who you said you were until proven otherwise. "So the line has continued under another name all this time."

It felt a little like someone had stuffed a basket of hot peppers into Sasuke’s stomach. “…You’re sure?” If he got his hopes up, and it turned out to be wrong, well…Sasuke didn’t want to have to suffer the disappointment of such a mistake. Or relive the guilt and despair of that last bloody night.

Kakashi nods, even though Sasuke couldn't see it. "I'm positive. There is a rather strong resemblance given how many years have passed. It was difficult to trace him back to your family, but I managed it."  
  
If it was true, which Sasuke had his reservations about, then it could only mean one thing. “A descendant of the main house, from one of my older siblings, I’d guess.” If it was really true. But…something seemed wrong with what Kakashi had said. “You’ve tasted his blood? Is he a feeder?” Not that he disliked feeders. Some of them could be loyal and dear friends to their vampire masters. He just wasn’t a vampire who indulged in their presence.

"Well DNA tests weren't all that reliable until recently. But I did manage to keep a sample of your blood. And I’ve tasted his blood as well, I sired him a few decades back." He had been trying to get in touch with Sasuke for quite some time, only now, he had good news to share. "It just...took me a while to get the results, and then get a hold of you."

A vampire. His ‘descendant’ was a vampire. “And his family?” If the unfortunate fate of their family had continued, then chances weren’t very good on that front.

"I'm afraid that as far as I can tell, he is the last of your line...save for yourself and possibly Indra." Indra was, after all, Sasuke's Sire and ancestor. "I’m sorry. I have looked extensively, of course."

“It’s fine.” He honestly hadn’t expected there to be any Uchiha left. And Sasuke was still skeptical about Kakashi’s claim that his new childe was one. “I’m sure that you did your best.” And there was still one elephant in the room. “I assume, since you’re telling me about that, that you want me to meet him.”

Kakashi smiles at that. "Well yes, that would be preferable. Though it is up to you." He wouldn't force the issue.

Meet him, and risk being disappointed, or forever living with the what if. Those were Sasuke’s choices, what they really boiled down to. “I’ll be there by evening.” The jet lag wasn’t going to be much fun, it never was, but luckily, as a vampire, Sasuke found that he recovered fairly quickly from it.

"Excellent. His name is Itachi." He had won that battle! Sasuke was going to meet him. "I'm sure that the two of you will get along marvelously."

“Sure. I’ll see you soon, Kakashi.” Sasuke hangs up the call, dialing another number quickly. After all, he had a flight to arrange.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celestia193’s Author’s Note: One thing to note is that...Sasuke is still Sasuke, but if anyone lived for over four centuries, you’d expect them to become a little…eccentric, their personalities splitting a little, or the parts getting a bit detached from one another. So…Sasuke is going to act a bit erratically. Also, vampire level consumption of alcohol, do not emulate, because you’d give yourself alcohol poisoning.

Kakashi tucks away his phone, smiling at his victory. Sasuke was easily the most stubborn vampire he’d ever met. And thanks to Sasuke and Indra, he’d met quite a few. But none of them had the sheer stubbornness that Sasuke did. If that vampire really didn’t want to do something, there was nothing short of an impending societal meltdown that would get him to budge. So, to convince him without even needing to wage a small war was nothing short of a miracle.

Which meant, that it was time to tell Itachi about their impending guest. He could already imagine the look on the fledgling’s face when he announced the good news.

Meandering his way downstairs to the large kitchen, Kakashi spots his childe sitting at the large, marble island, eating rice balls wrapped with nori, and likely stuffed with picked plums and cabbage. His childe had such a strange obsession with cabbage, but Kakashi had long since learned not to comment on it. Despite his youth, Itachi was as intelligent as he was. “Good morning, Itachi.”

Itachi quickly swallows a mouthful of rice and cabbage, then smiles at Kakashi. "Good morning." Despite the man's deceptively carefree nature, he was a two hundred something year old vampire and his Sire. He deserved to be treated with respect. (Even if he did have an obsession with erotic literature and was almost always late for everything).

Good, Itachi was in his happy place, that would make this easier. “We’re going to be having a special guest for dinner tonight. It’s someone that I’ve wanted you to meet for a long time.” Ever since Kakashi turned the boy, really.

"Alright." Itachi nods at that and smiles. "Vampire, another kind of supernatural, or human?" Kakashi was rather friendly towards humans compared to most vampires he knew. Though his Sire knew not to get too attached to them.

“A vampire.” Kakashi smiles widely. “Twice as old as I am, and about ten times as dangerous.” After all, he was relatively innocent, compared to Sasuke. And he knew all about his Sire’s previous occupation. “He’s a very difficult man to get a hold of these days. He changes his phone number every month or so.”

He had always considered himself to be realistically confident in his own abilities, but that sounded a bit ominous to Itachi. "If he's truly that dangerous and is taking such pains to avoid being found, is it really wise to invite him for dinner?" He was a fledgling. A skilled fledgling, but still if something went wrong it sounded like neither of them was a match for this vampire.

Kakashi chuckles and shakes his head. “He won’t harm you, I promise. Though, I may get an earful from him when he arrives. He hates jet lag. But I thought that it was about time that the two of you finally meet. You remember those two ancestors that I told you about?”

"Yes, I remember." Itachi nods as a thought occurs to him. "Indra and your Sire, right? Did you actually convince one of them to dine with us?" He didn't know whether he should be excited or terrified at that prospect.

“Yes, I have.” And it had been a lot easier than Kakashi thought it would be. “My Sire is flying in from Japan, so we’ll be having a late dinner. I also need to make sure that we’re properly stocked with tomatoes for when he arrives.”

Itachi blinks. So Kakashi had finally done it. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" He had tracked down his Sire and Itachi's ancestor. "I could envision this going wrong in at least a thousand different ways." Though the tomato request felt a bit off. "But we do have plenty of tomatoes."

“Enough for a snack, perhaps, but you haven’t seen someone eat tomatoes until you’ve seen Sasuke eat them. He loves them even more than you love your cabbage.” Which Kakashi was still trying to figure out. “And I know that you’re worried about it going wrong. But I wanted to be sure that you were an Uchiha before telling him, and he’s been very hard to track down ever since he finally cut me loose. It’ll be good for you two to meet.”

He wasn't sure why his ancestor was apparently so fond of tomatoes, but who was he to judge? "Alright then. I suppose I can go to market and get us more tomatoes then." He smiles at his Sire. Kakashi really was trying to help him connect with his distant kin. "And that was probably a wise move on your part. To verify your suspicions before asking him to come all the way out here." It was sweet really. Assuming that Kakashi didn't change his mind though, Itachi had one very important question to answer. What on Earth was he going to wear to meet his four hundred something, probably five or ten times great grandfather?!

“Yes, well, if it had turned out that my suspicions had proven false, it would have been cruel to give him that hope, only to tear it away.” Because, sometimes, it was difficult for Kakashi to see an old vampire, rather than a lonely teenager. Maybe there was something to that idea that vampirism freezes your mind, somewhat. You accumulate the experience, yes, but the mind can be a very hard thing to change, especially since Sasuke had been turned before he was even done growing. “He can be distant and very focused at times. But if you put in the effort to make him warm up to you, he’s a far more loving person than he believes he is.”

Itachi knew that Kakashi meant that to be comforting, but he took it as a warning. "Well I shall be sure to put my best foot forward then." After all, he only had two relatives left in all the world and while the prospect was daunting, the young vampire found that he was genuinely looking forward to meeting this Sasuke.

* * *

Jet lag. Sasuke really did hate it so much, especially since he hadn’t been able to sleep on the plane for more than a few hours. The darkness kept him up. Even when he was human, the darkness kept him up. Then again, he’d spent the better part of three centuries in nothing but darkness.

Which is why, in far more daylight than he liked, he found himself dressed in a tight black turtleneck, a dark blue jacket, with jeans and boots to match the shirt. He looked…like a teenager. Which was the point, because if he wore what he had when he was a human adolescent, he would stick out like a sore thumb.

Still, he did the ‘human courtesy’ thing, and resisted the urge to just appear in one of the rooms of the brownstone that Kakashi had given him the address for. No need to give the baby vamp a heart attack. So, instead, he does the ‘human’ thing, and rings the doorbell.

Itachi hears the doorbell ring and immediately goes to answer it. If he was still a human, his heart would have been pounding by now. Thankfully, he wasn't. Which was good because it meant that wasn't an issue and he was also able to answer the door quickly. Extremely quickly.

"You must be Sasuke." He smiles at him. "I'm Itachi. Please come in." He'd grown his hair out long so now he had two long bangs framing the side of his face and his smoky gray locks reached down past his shoulders. Which, he presumed wasn't an issue with Sasuke, considering his own spiky locks were rather exotic as well. "It's so good to finally meet you."

He opens the door and steps aside to let him inside. He'd chosen to wear a simple pure black v-neck sweater and matching pants. He honestly had no idea what a four hundred something vampire would consider acceptable fashion, but he figured this was adaptable enough to make at least a not horrible impression as he glances at Sasuke with curious dark eyes.

Sasuke nods, footsteps utterly silent as he steps inside. He eyes Itachi carefully, looking the child up and down. “You certainly look like an Uchiha.” Which meant that Kakashi might not be yanking his chain. “Where’s my perverted childe?”

Uchiha, that must be his last name then. "Thank you." Itachi assumes that was a compliment in the elder vampire's eyes. "He's in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on what he assures me will be a glorious tomato salad."

“Of course he is, he’s planning to butter me up about something.” Kakashi could be pretty sneaky sometimes, but Sasuke knew how this was going to go. Sasuke’s onyx eyes flick towards his descendant. “And I assume that it has something to do with you. He thinks he’s as sneaky as a real ninja.”

"Well I've never met a real ninja before, but in his defense...Kakashi is rather sneaky." Itachi’s eyes dance in amusement. "And I’m quite certain watching him attempt to butter you up will prove most entertaining."

“Hn.” Sasuke snorts softly, as if he would be taken in by Kakashi so easily. “Of course you haven’t met any real ninja before. There’s only a handful left, and they’re all vampires. They nearly went extinct before Kakashi was even born.”

He smiles at him as he leads Sasuke into the kitchen. "Then I shall list real ninjas on my Rare Sightseeing List, alongside unicorns of course." Itachi chuckles as he watches Kakashi toss salad.

As Sasuke smirks, Kakashi turns towards the two vampires who both looked younger than he did. “In that case, Itachi, I expect that we’ll be seeing a unicorn quite soon. And you can scratch seeing a real ninja off your list.” After all, his childe was standing right next to one.

Itachi blinks at that and then looks at Sasuke. "I surmise there was a reason why ninjas were the first thought on your mind?" His ancestor was a ninja?

“Hn.” Sasuke rolls his eyes, reaching for the tomato salad as Kakashi brings plates over to the marble-topped kitchen island. They’d never really done dining tables. Too formal, even when they’d gone to Europe for a few decades.

Kakashi chuckles at the sight as he produces rice balls, fish, stew, and a few other haphazard dishes that included most of their favorite foods. “Sasuke is the last true ninja, born and raised. The others were trained in later centuries, based on the techniques from the Iga Province. But the Uchiha were a proud clan of Iga ninja. They endured the longest of all the ninja clans.” Kakashi was quite familiar with that history, having witnessed some of it, himself. “Sasuke even trained me in the decades after he turned me.”

"That is quite impressive." Itachi honestly didn't know what to say to all that. "I've studied martial arts here and there mostly at Kakashi's insistence, but I can't say that I've ever expected to see the original forms of the techniques."

Sasuke doesn’t miss a beat as he spoons some of the tomato salad into his mouth. “It is the birthright of every Uchiha. Though mastering every form and fighting style unique to the clan takes…longer than most humans live.” Then, he flicks a piece of tomato at Kakashi. “And my training you doesn’t make you a ninja. Besides, you’re not nearly as sneaky as you think you are.”

He couldn't help, but watch this all with a great deal of amusement. "Kakashi does try though. One has to give him that." Itachi chuckles at the sight of the ancient vampire flinging a piece of tomato.

Dodging the piece of tomato, Kakashi grins. “Well, well, Sasuke, it looks as though you’re finally acting your age.” Well, his physical age, at least. His Sire never really had the chance to be a child, so it was amusing when those little moments would happen. They did once every decade or so, on average. He hadn’t seen Sasuke for several of those, so maybe he could get his Sire to crack a few more times.

Sasuke narrows his eyes at his childe, before focusing back on his salad, and on his descendant. “Yes, he does try. And the first thing that he did with those lessons was sneak into Shimabara.”

"For some reason, that doesn't surprise me." Itachi rolls his eyes at the thought of a young Kakashi in Kyoto's red-light district.

Kakashi pouts slightly. “Well, you refused to take me with you, so what did you expect me to do? Just wait around until you came back in the morning?”

That was a little disturbing to Itachi. "..." The silver haired vampire was implying that Sasuke had visited the place. "I hope that I am not the descendant of some Lady of the Evening..."

“You’re not. I was usually there to kill someone, and I had already been a vampire for over two centuries.” Sasuke had been watching the young vampire covertly, and he was fairly certain that if it was one of his siblings, he knew which he had to choose from. “If I had to guess, I would say that you are either from my sister’s line, or my eldest brother’s. They both had children in their lifetime. My second brother did not.” Itachi did resemble his sister, though.

"Ah, that’s right, you were turned before you were able to have children." Kakashi smiles cheerfully at that. "But Uncle Sasuke has a nice ring to it, yes?" Itachi rubs the back of his head sheepishly at that, fairly certain his Sire was going to get smacked.

Sasuke’s eyebrow twitches. “Kakashi, you’re annoying.” And he had said similar things on many an occasion. “This is why I never brought you with me before you decided to sneak in. Not to mention that I wasn’t going to have you feeding on the geisha.”

He pouts at that. Kakashi had always wanted to feed off a geisha. "I'm pretty sure that you just did that because you wanted all the geisha for yourself." Sasuke could be so cruel sometimes!

Another twitch. “I never fed from them, and you know that.” Sasuke only ever fed on the blood of the people he killed, enemies of the various Shogun. Most of them hadn’t tasted great, but they sustained him.

Kakashi’s pout disappears as his Sire’s bad habit of denying himself all blood, save what he needed to survive comes to mind. Sasuke didn’t use live feeders, and the last time he’d killed was a century and a half ago. “You must be thirsty. I’ll fetch some bloodwine from the cellar.” Sasuke’s mood was likely attributable to a low level of blood in his system.

“Fine.” Sasuke knew better than to protest that in front of a baby vamp. He doubted that Itachi would understand his general dislike for drinking blood.

Itachi senses he missed something. Kakashi's playful, if borderline masochistic teasing had suddenly stopped. "So where did you fly in from? Kakashi mentioned jet lag." Perhaps, it was best to change the topic of conversation.

“Tokyo.” Sasuke eyes his childe as the silver-haired vampire disappears through a side door, to what he assumes is the wine cellar. “Kakashi called me about twelve hours ago, sprung your existence on me, and asked me to come and meet you.”

"Yes, that does sound like something he would do." He shakes his head. "Kakashi does love to surprise people as I’m sure you know."

“Yes, and once in a while, he succeeds.” Sasuke’s eyes drift back to Itachi, scrutinizing the young vampire. “I was under the belief that the last of the Uchiha died out in one of the slaughters that ended the civil war. For being loyal to the Shogun.”

If the other comments hadn't done it, that certainly did. "I'm sorry. You must have been heartbroken." It drove the point home that this was an ancient vampire. Itachi might as well still been a child compared to this man.

“Don’t be sorry, it had nothing to do with you. And I made peace with my failures a long time ago.” Sasuke didn’t need pity, didn’t want it. It had happened a century and a half ago. It was old news. And nothing anyone did now was going to change that.

"Well, I wouldn't say that was entirely true. What happened back then wasn't of my doing, but they were my family too." Itachi sighs and caresses Sasuke’s cheek. "And whatever the circumstances were behind their death, I doubt it was because of you. You still think of them. You still miss them." Most vampires his age either didn't remember their human families at all or at best they might be a dim afterthought.

Dark eyes drop to the hand on his cheek, eyebrow rising slightly at the gesture. “I could have made different choices, ones that would have better protected the clan. I was young and naive, and didn’t think about the consequences of not acting when I should have.” And…there was still that hand on Sasuke’s face. “But it’s no longer something that hurts me, so I don’t need to be comforted like a brooding teenager.”

It was clearly something that did still hurt Sasuke or he wouldn't have mentioned it, but Itachi figured it was best to pretend otherwise. "You were turned young. I doubt you had any real say over the events of a war, but I’m glad that it no longer hurts you." Even if it obviously still did. "It must grow rather bothersome to still have people mistake you for a brooding teenager though." His eyes dance with mischief at that. "An attractive brooding teenager, but still." He had been lucky and turned at twenty-five. Still young, but old enough that most people wouldn't consider him a child. Being turned in his late teens though, he imagined that would be rather annoying.

Yeah, that was still a sore spot for Sasuke. “I blame Orochimaru.” If that man hadn’t tried to attack Indra that night, and brought along his little coven, Sasuke wouldn’t have died that night. Wouldn’t have become a vampire that night. “I suppose the good that came out of it was being able to protect the clan for as long as I did, and saving the life of a samurai I found dying on a battlefield.”

"Well that's something, I suppose. Though, Orochimaru is a name that I've heard before." Nothing good. Kakashi really did seem to despise the man and now Itachi had a better understanding of why that was the case. "When in doubt, I believe that relying on the fact that it is likely Orochimaru's fault in some capacity or another is enormously useful. It's a time saver."

“That’s definitely a good way to save time.” Sasuke despised Orochimaru even more than Kakashi did, and it’s why he’d never let the creep anywhere near his childe. “If it weren’t for his perverse infatuation with defeating my Sire, I wouldn’t have been stuck in a teenage body for eternity.” Not to mention, Kakashi wouldn’t have been turned, and neither would Itachi. Itachi…likely wouldn’t even have been born.

He nods in understanding. "Well if it's any consolation, if one has to be stuck in a teenage body for all of eternity, it's better to be frozen in an exceptional one than not." Itachi smiles at him.

“I agree.” Kakashi returns before Sasuke has the chance to retort, carrying three glasses, and a carefully picked bottle of sixteenth century, Italian bloodwine. “Though you have to admit that for a vampire, dealing with being stuck in the body of a horny teenager, and only having that amplified…” Kakashi may have been a pervert in his own right, but he couldn’t resist getting that jab in as he pours the wine. “Well, I wouldn’t let that kind of-”

“Kakashi!” Sasuke’s eyes flash ruby red in irritation. “That’s enough!”

There were times when Itachi truly wondered how Kakashi had managed to make it to two hundred. It was almost as if the vampire had a death wish. This was one of those times. Itachi just shakes his head at his Sire's antics and decides discretion was the better part of valor when he saw those eyes flashing red like that.

Kakashi chuckles and takes a glass for himself, pushing one into Sasuke’s hands. “I love you too, Sasuke. Now drink. It’s probably been a week since you last had any blood.”

The ruby eyes flicker slightly, before slowly darkening again as Sasuke looks down to his glass, swirling the crimson liquid. “Two.” Which meant that he was overdue for a shot of blood.

"I can go get you another glass if you like." Why had he starved himself? Had he merely just forgotten and been that busy? It didn't seem likely to Itachi, but one never knew. "We have plenty."

“No, I’m fine.” Sasuke sips at the bloodwine, tasting the sweetness of grapes, strawberries, and blood on his tongue. “One glass is enough.”

Seeing Itachi’s expression, Kakashi shakes his head. That was not a discussion that anyone wanted to get into right now. “I have bourbon stashed away as well, if that’s what you would prefer.”

Sasuke’s dark eyes flash red again as he slowly drains the glass. “Then you might want to grab two or three bottles.” He could throw back bourbon like it was nobody’s business.

Kakashi smirks. “Right. Whoever it was that laid down the three vices has clearly never met you.” Or any vampire, really. They indulged in those vices more than any other supernaturals out there.

Itachi blinks bemusedly at the thought, before chuckling at the image it produced. "It's both an amusing and mildly disturbing concept to picture what an intoxicated vampire ninja would be like."

“It either ends in blood, or a red-light district.” Sasuke puts down his glass as Kakashi pulls a few bottles of bourbon from one of the cupboards. There was less reason to hide that than the bloodwine.

“Good times.” Kakashi produces three small crystal glasses, filling them to the brim with the whiskey. “I seem to remember one festival in Edo that ended particularly well.” There had been quite a lot of sake involved that night.

“Indeed.” Sasuke picks up a glass, swirling the caramel colored liquid, examining the quadruple shot, before downing it like an Irishman. He rather liked the way they drunk their liquor.

It was a bit shocking to see Sasuke speak so casually about such districts. "As I said, mildly disturbing or amusing." He expected such behavior from Kakashi, but Sasuke was an enigma to him. One moment he portrayed himself as every inch a proud vampire elder, the next he was sulking like an adorable teenager, and almost in the same breath he was suddenly speaking about districts filled with all sorts of vice, particularly of the carnal variety. "Though, I thank you for keeping my Sire from getting himself killed early on, as he would have been wont to do without your guidance, I'm sure."

“Kakashi? Most likely.” Sasuke had stopped his childe from making fatal mistakes on more than one occasion. “Though that may have more to do with the fact that vampires of our line seem to have a difficult time cutting the umbilical cord.” Indra had kept Sasuke in his home for the first five years, yes, but had gone with Sasuke to Edo when he returned to serve the Shogun. They’d spent several decades together, before Indra finally deemed him ready to strike out on his own. And Sasuke himself had kept Kakashi around for almost a century, before finally setting him loose just before the first world war. “We keep our fledglings around for almost a century.”

"Yes, that does seem to be the pattern." Itachi nods with a smile. "I've been with Kakashi for quite some time myself." He could have managed on his own now, probably even thrived. Itachi didn't see the need though.

He liked staying with the other vampire and Itachi felt as though deep down, his Sire needed him. Kakashi's easygoing ways amused him and while he was still relatively young for a vampire, he had no bloodmate. Itachi suspected that he was probably the only thing in Kakashi's life that gave him a real sense of responsibility. Otherwise, the silver haired vampire probably would have just drifted from place to place on whatever whim grabbed his attention most at the time.

“I’ve had him since sixty-nine.” Kakashi smirks at the thought. “So I don’t expect him to be trying to leave the nest for the next half century or so.”

Now THAT has Sasuke raising an eyebrow. “A baby vamp, then.” It seemed that Itachi was young, both in appearance, and chronological age. “I remember when Kakashi was a baby vampire. Always getting into every bit of trouble he could find.”

"I wouldn't call myself a baby." He chuckles at that thought. "I am over seventy. Were I a human, I'd probably have grandchildren by now." It was quite amusing what passed for ‘children’ in the vampire world.

“Hn.” Sasuke smirks at Itachi’s defense. “I am six times your age, kid.” And if he were still human, there was every chance that Itachi could have been his dozen times great grandson. “Get a couple more centuries under your belt, and maybe a mentor other than the pervert.”

Itachi shakes his head at Sasuke's response. "He's a very good mentor, if one overlooks that particular quirk of his and his habit of being late to everything." Something that had caused his business associates no small amount of annoyance, but they were largely used to it at this point.

“Hey now…I’m not late to EVERYTHING.” Kakashi pouts a little at the reprimand. Honestly, the two of them were far more alike than Sasuke seemed to think. Itachi even SMIRKED like his ancestor.

“The day you’re not late to something, I’ll invite your little one to Tokyo for a vacation.” Sasuke rolls his eyes, reaching for one of the bottles of bourbon and pouring himself another glass as he smiles slightly at his descendant. “Sorry that I couldn’t train that out of him. I tried, but even a century of berating him for it wasn’t enough to break him of the habit.”

"Well almost everything." Itachi smiles teasingly at Kakashi. "Unless it's for a date." More like sex, but it was polite to pretend otherwise. Still, he turns his attention back to Sasuke. "It's alright. It's just part of who he is."

“See!” And Kakashi saw an opportunity to capitalize on. “So, does that mean that I should have Itachi pack a bag?” Finally, Sasuke and Itachi might get some time with one of their only other relatives. Because honestly…calling up Indra for a family reunion was a dangerous proposal. The ancient vampire was unpredictable, at best, and Sasuke had inherited that trait to some degree.

Itachi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Currently, his Sire was being about as subtle as Naruto in a ramen shop. Forget about bulls in china shops, that blond vampire was obsessed with cheap noodles!

The elder vampire doesn’t miss a beat. “Do you have a date tonight?” And judging by the look on Kakashi’s face, he did. “Be on time for that, and then we’ll talk.” After all, you had to see it to believe it, and Sasuke would not believe that Kakashi was actually on time for something until he saw it for himself. He and Indra were the only exceptions to the rule. But that’s what happened in the middle ages, when you were believed by the people to be an oni.

"Who is it with this time?" His Sire certainly didn't discriminate when it came to species. It could be anybody or anything.

“Shizune. A banshee.” Kakashi grins widely. “She’s got a very nice voice, though.” And it had taken weeks to convince her to take a night off from attending an elder vampire, the bloodmate of Naruto’s own Sire, Tsunade.

“Of course it’s Shizune.” Sasuke shakes his head. “Which means that you’re leaving me here to babysit while you traumatize Naruto, again.”

“Precisely.” Kakashi chuckles at the thought of the younger vampire, turned only a few decades before he and Sasuke had fled to Europe to stay with Naruto’s family. It was through one of Sasuke’s international connections that they found Jiraiya and Tsunade. And as people who knew Orochimaru’s dark side, they were willing to hide the two vampires for a while.

Itachi shakes his head in amusement. "He is...very much equal opportunity when it comes to who he will let into his bed." He quite liked Shizune, really. Though he wasn't sure how the mechanics of bedding a banshee worked. Wasn't she technically a ghost?

“Yes, he is.” Sasuke waves his hand at his childe, motioning for him to go. “Go on, best not to keep a banshee waiting.” If you did, they got loud and fast.

“Alright, have fun, you two!” Kakashi meanders off towards the door. “And Itachi, why don’t you see whether or not you can loosen Sasuke up a little? He’s still being a little frigid.”

"Kakashi, if you don't shut up...you might become a banshee along with Shizune!" Was his Sire trying to get himself killed?! Itachi seriously wondered.

The two hundred year-old vampire chortles as he disappears from sight, Sasuke shaking his head exasperatedly. “Say hello to Naruto for me!” And judging from the snort just outside the door as it shuts, the message would be delivered. “Honestly…Kakashi hasn’t changed one bit.” He was still the mischievous, headstrong vampire that he’d been when Sasuke first turned him. “It astounds me that you’ve survived this long with him as your Sire.”

Itachi smiles at that. Well Kakashi was Kakashi. "He apparently has little regard for his own safety, but he was very dutiful about ensuring my own." It was perhaps the closest to a paternal bond that someone like the silver haired vampire could express. "I'm the first person he turned. So I suppose that is to be expected."

“Yes…it’s a powerful bond.” Sasuke swirls another glass of whiskey, glancing at his descendant, watching him closely. “But you needn’t worry about Kakashi. He may be a pervert and an idiot sometimes, but I would never hurt him.” Well, not much, and not permanently.

"I know, that was merely in jest." The man had spent a century with Kakashi, which was quite admirable, by Itachi’s standards. "If you were going to do that, you would have already done it by now."

“I would have just ended his life when I first met him.” In fact, Kakashi’s personality had drawn Sasuke to him. He was so bright and determined, and had such a will to survive, that Sasuke had granted that, and kept his childe close, because Kakashi was the closest thing he had to real family after his clan was destroyed. “But, enough about Kakashi and his off-putting personality.” Sasuke gets to his feet, putting down his glass after emptying a whole bottle of whiskey. “I assume that Kakashi has a library in this place?”

Itachi nods at that. "Of course, though I’m not entirely certain how much of his collection you'd have an interest in." Most of it was of an erotic nature.

“I’m well aware of the likely contents, I just like the calm atmosphere of a library.” Sasuke could just imagine the look on Kakashi’s face when porn first started being mass-produced. “And he wouldn’t be Kakashi if he didn’t have a mountain of porn stored in his house.” In fact, if he hadn’t, Sasuke would have been shocked enough by the happening, that he would have demanded to know who was trying to impersonate his childe. “Well, lead the way.”

"Alright." Well all that was true enough that Itachi didn't bother trying to deny it as he leads his ancestor towards the library. "Well he has other things in his collection of course. That's just the majority of it." Kakashi was remarkably intelligent, one had to give him that much. But his love of erotica was no great secret in the supernatural community. In fact, he was downright famous for it.


	4. Chapter 4

Well, Sasuke had to give Kakashi this much. His collection of erotica was nothing to sneeze at. He had some from all across the globe, including some supernatural-specific publications. Kept secret from the largely unknowing humans, of course. But still, a thousand items dealing just with erotica? That was excessive, even by Sasuke’s loose standards. Which meant that it suited Kakashi perfectly. “I see that his collection has grown in the last few decades.”

Ignoring the erotica, Sasuke spots a pair of couches in a cleared space in the middle of the large room. It wasn’t nearly the size of his clan’s library, of course, but it was decently large for a vampire Kakashi’s age, when collecting only for himself. “In any case, the purpose of this visit is supposed to be for me to meet you. And I also assume that means get to know you.” Because Kakashi would never let him hear the end of it if all they had was a meal, a few drinks, and then Sasuke disappeared again.

So, Sasuke sits himself on one of the couches, staring intently at his descendant. “Kakashi will likely be out all night, and so, we have until he gets back to ‘get to know’ each other. Whether or not he showed up to his date on time will determine whether or not he’ll pester me about you.”

"Yes, that would seem rather agreeable." Itachi smiles as he sits down on the other couch and watches his ancestor. "I imagine you have an impressive collection in your own library though." Books were a safe topic or at least he supposed that they should be. He truly knew almost nothing about Sasuke at this point.

“I do.” He had been spending the last sixty years working on restoring the Uchiha library. There were many pieces that had gone missing thanks to thieves, and Sasuke was determined to restore every single book and scroll to its rightful place, no matter what measures that took. “The estate where the Iga province once lay contains the clan’s library.” Though his residence in Tokyo was more for convenience than anything else. It was a place to come and go from, not large, not excessively luxurious, but it served its purpose. He simply preferred old buildings to new ones.

Itachi smiles at him, sensing this was a serious subject for Sasuke, but trying to lighten the mood. "And what does a four hundred something vampire read about in his spare time?" It seemed like the proper thing to do.

“Philosophy, history, mythology.” Things that were older than he was, for the most part. Sasuke could live through the modern things, but it was the unknown that intrigued him the most, rather than humans doing the same stupid things over and over again. “I’ve been working on tracing my ancestry back to Indra, but I’m still missing several crucial documents.”

He might look young, but Sasuke obviously was more than just handsome face. He was also something of a scholar it seemed, even if it might have been motivated more out of a need for closure than anything else. "I imagine that would be difficult. Documents from your era are rare enough, but from between yours and his...well that's even more so." Predatory. Those eyes were definitely predatory, even more so than the ‘average’ vampire (if such a creature existed). They were also tragically beautiful. So sad when their kin were mentioned.

“Yes, they are few and far between.” And that was a great frustration in tracking down his own ancestry. But there was no need for Sasuke to vent his frustrations now. “And yourself? I presume that you prefer more modern texts than I do.”

"I consider myself...relatively balanced between older works and more current ones." Itachi’s smile grows at the question. "Mythology and history certainly hold appeal for me, but I suppose that one's birth era leaves a mark and in some ways, I never truly quit my human profession. New developments fascinate me as well."

“New developments?” That was a little vague. “In what area?” Sometimes, Sasuke forgot that vampires did once used to be human. Of course Itachi had had a job before being turned. And…apparently still did.

"Mostly in space exploration, but also in oceanography and science in general." It was stunning to realize that everyone walking around with a cell phone now, possessed far more technological power in their hands than had been used to fly a ship to the Moon! "The unknown will always be an intriguing and frightening concept for humanity and vampires alike, I suppose. Whether that's in the sky, the ocean, or elsewhere."

“Space exploration?” It was a topic that Sasuke had never really touched, preferring to learn by looking back, rather than looking to the stars. But maybe that was because he was old. “That’s a very specific field. I take it, then, that you are either a physicist or an engineer?”

"Mechanical Engineer. I actually worked on the team that first landed on the moon, briefly." Itachi smiles wistfully at the memory. "I was rather young and they didn't put just anyone on that project. I joined in the last year or so of it."

“I see.” Sasuke’s lips curl in amusement at the information. “Well, the Uchiha always did have a reputation for producing geniuses. It seems that reputation continues to be well-deserved.”

Such modesty, though Itachi was more than content to bask in the subtle praise. "I suppose that's true. We were all...so happy there. It was something that we were all doing that was positive." A reprieve from the struggles that were going on both at home and abroad. "A matter of national pride and scientific achievement. It was a beautiful thing to see." And it had also been his last night as a human, when they pulled it off.

“In an era of negativity from the Cold War, right?” Sasuke had found all of those human machinations to be rather pointless. “I’ve found that humans in this era have a bad habit of waging war over nothing, and tossing around dangerous weapons like dango sticks.” In his day, barely anyone died, compared to the past century of warfare. “But it is good to see that you found something productive to do, at least.” And it had likely kept Itachi safe, which was good.

"Well yes, that was the driving force behind the U.S. increasing it's focus on its space program." He concedes that point. "Well I'm sure that I don't need to tell you how...things were back then. You lived through it as well." The assassinations, the fight for Civil Rights, and Vietnam stood out most in his mind. "So it was nice to have something...to focus on that actually made people happy for once." Instead of seeing them get beaten or blown up.

“I suppose that makes sense.” Sasuke sighs and shifts onto his side, laying himself down comfortably on the couch. “I was in Europe at the time. I’d gone there after fleeing Japan. So I’ve heard things about what happened here in that era, but a castle in rural Scotland with Naruto and his fairly ancient coven for company wasn’t exactly the best way to know what was going on across the ocean.” His eyes fall on Itachi, softening a little. “But from what I do know, it must have been hard to grow up here after all of the hysteria, only to be plunged into more.”

"Well most of the time, I probably would have preferred to be in Scotland." Being born into a Japanese internment camp hadn't been the ideal place to start his human life, but Itachi was barely a toddler when they left. "Unfortunately, for most of its history, it seems this country has been involved in one war or another."

Though the prejudice against Japanese Americans certainly hadn't vanished immediately after World War Two ended. Thankfully now though, things had radically shifted in this era. Gone were the days where he was looked upon with distrust or scorn for his Japanese heritage. Instead, he received neutral or curious reactions for the most part and many ‘kids’ and adults these days seemed to find Japanese culture ‘cool’. Probably something to do with anime, samurai, and ninja, he suspected.

“Yes, this country seems to be something of a bad influence in this era when it comes to warfare. No one gets straight to the point anymore. It’s inefficient, wasteful, and the civilians suffer the most.” At least Sasuke knew that he’d prevented a lot of civilian deaths through his work. And by keeping the shogunate stable, there was relative peace for two and a half centuries.

Though, the fact that Itachi had lived through that only added yet more failures to Sasuke’s list. And that weighed heavily on his heart. “If I had known that there were members of the Uchiha Clan still alive…I would have come to find you. I’m sorry for not looking as hard as I should have.”

"There was no possible way that you could have known." He smiles at him. "Besides, I was lucky. I was born near the end of World War Two and was able to get out of Vietnam by going to college. I was part of history and well now, I have Kakashi and a fang-tastic smile." Itachi chuckles lightly at his own pun. "So it all worked out in the end."

That did nothing to ease the guilt. Because Sasuke should have known. “I’m glad that you didn’t have to fight, at least. War is messy. It’s bloody and dirty, and unless certain measures are taken to avoid large-scale conflicts, a lot of people die because there are others who don’t like the status quo.”

Itachi sighs and nods. "Well I am as well. I saw enough of the fallout from the war to realize that I was extremely fortunate, even the internment camps weren’t that bad." He probably shouldn't have said that. "Anyway, Kakashi says that it's rather hard to get a hold of you. What are you doing these days? It must be a challenge to find new ways to keep yourself occupied besides chasing down the result of Indra's...exploits."

Sasuke’s eyes narrow at the mention of internment camps. It seemed that there was another failure to add to his never-ending list. But…it had been over half a century ago, and thus, there was nothing he could do. Again, he was useless.

So, he decides that answers would be better, rather than dwelling on another pile of what ifs. “Business, mostly. I’ve been working on it ever since leaving Japan. I got Kakashi started as well.” After all, a vampire needed a steady source of income, and regular jobs wouldn’t cut it, since a vampire didn’t age. You could only hold down a stable job for so long, before people around you realized that there was something up.

Sasuke probably didn’t do as much as Itachi likely thought he did. Sure, he could travel the world, study, maybe even teach. “I move around a bit, keep to myself, work out deals with museums to have scrolls and books returned.” He smirks slightly. “Work around dealing with bureaucrats if they’re stubborn about holding on to stolen property. Sometimes I’m dragged out for a night out in downtown Tokyo against my will. I doubt it’s as glamorous as Kakashi makes it out to be.”

"I'm sure it's not half as exciting as Kakashi has led me to believe, nor half as dull as you're trying ot make it seem." Itachi smiles at him. "Though I’m quite certain the women of Tokyo appreciate it greatly when someone forces you to go out on these...excursions."

Shooting his descendant a dry look, Sasuke shakes his head. “I’m more than capable of finding myself companionship when I need it. Shimabara and Yoshiwara might not be around anymore, but I still know how to find suitable humans to seduce.” He eyes Itachi, taking in the young vampire who, unfortunately, looked older than he did. “If you were human, I’d probably have you charmed into my bed as well. I usually manage it in less than half a minute, no compulsion required.”

Itachi blinks rather stunned at Sasuke's bluntness. "Well I'm certain that you have no issue finding partners when the mood strikes you." He smiles, trying to get over being dumbstruck. "And I probably shouldn't have assumed that you prefer women. Though as I'm not sure what makes you think you could seduce me so easily or that I would be open to a seduction from men in general." In truth, he saw no reason to discriminate in that matter with regards to sex. He'd taken men and women to his bed.

“I’m a vampire, we tend to swing both ways more often than not.” Apparently, Sasuke was going to have to educate the baby vampire a little. “And I learned how to charm people from the geisha and oiran of Edo and Kyoto’s red-light districts. It made being a ruthless assassin a lot easier to have a pretty face, and a charming demeanor. So, I learned from the best.” Including learning how to cross-dress so effectively that he’d really been mistaken for a woman many times. “I didn’t spend ALL of my time in the flower cities sleeping with the prostitutes.”

He found himself left more than a little speechless at that. "And here you were, trying to claim that you were a boring old man." Itachi chuckles, still not sure how to respond to any of that. "While I'm certain they were attentive instructors, I really wouldn't assume their techniques would work on everyone." His ancestor certainly didn't lack for confidence it seemed. "Though I'll admit that you're correct. I’m not adverse to taking men into my bedroom." Truth be told, he tilted a little more towards men than women.

“I never said that I was boring, just that this life isn’t as glamorous as you might think.” Sasuke sighs, images of blood racing through his mind, sending a shudder up his spine. When you had a body count like his, you were anything but boring. Anyone who studied a few of the fuzzier Japanese myths would know that. “You’re right, though, their techniques probably wouldn’t work on everyone.” There’s a glint in his eyes, now that the memory has passed. “But the foundation they laid out gave me a lot to work with, and a lot to build on. Not to mention, I’ve lived about fifteen to twenty times as long as your average geisha.”

The word average didn't really belong in the same novel, let along the same sentence as Sasuke. "You were implying it, but noted." Itachi wasn’t blind. Sasuke was anything but average.

“I can imply a lot of things.” Dark eyes watch the young vampire closely. “Watching others figure out what is the truth and what isn’t is how I weed out the people who aren’t worth my time.” Though, maybe he could embarrass the kid a little. “How much did Kakashi teach you about the subject?”

Itachi raises an eyebrow. "About which subject?" Kakashi had taught him many things.

“Cute.” The younger vampire amused him, but Sasuke’s interest had been piqued. “I imagine that you are significantly less innocent now than when you were first turned. And I simply wondered whether or not Kakashi had neglected your sexual education.”

Oh that. Itachi shakes his head and gestures around towards the library filled with erotic literature. "You're right. I’m far less naive than I was about such things when I was turned, but as you can see that is one area where Kakashi was very attentive." Not that he had been a blushing innocent at twenty-five, but he was over seventy now. If he wasn't less innocent than decades ago, then he obviously would have been doing something very wrong!

“Good.” Though when Sasuke turned Kakashi, the samurai was hardly an innocent, himself. But there was still quite a lot that a vampire could teach a fledgling. “I do hope that he at least took something of a hands-on approach. It’s the most effective way to learn.” He would be ashamed if Kakashi skimped out on those sorts of lessons. After Kakashi started sneaking into Shimabara, Sasuke had taken it upon himself to make sure to educate Kakashi in a more practical manner.

"Are you asking if Kakashi is my lover?" Itachi tilts his head in confusion. "I know such things aren't uncommon amongst Sires and their children, but that's never been the case between us." The Sire-Childe bond was powerful, but it could manifest itself in several different ways. The most common being a parental bond, but lover bonds were also viewed as quite normal. And then there were the more...transactional bonds, to put charitably. Vampires like Orochimaru turned people to have minions.

Sasuke stares unblinkingly and almost innocently at Itachi. “Kakashi may prefer women, but if a man is ‘pretty’ enough, he’ll go for it.”

"I think he views me more as a son than a lover in all honesty." Itachi smiles at him.

“Really…” That was strange, considering that Itachi was quite the looker in his own right. But Sasuke supposed that as long as Itachi’s education in the carnal arts wasn’t lacking. “Well, it’s good that he has someone to be responsible for, anyway. Someone who isn’t actually two hundred years older than him.” It annoyed Sasuke that Kakashi sometimes acted like he was the older one, just because Sasuke looked so young.

He nods at that. Itachi could tell that he was surprised. "In his own strange way, he's very paternal." He could just imagine how that had likely driven Sasuke insane considering how young the other man looked.

“Yes, I know, and he loves to drive me half insane with it.” Sasuke chuckles at his own misfortune. “But he means well, even if he’s one of the most annoying vampires I’ve ever met.” Which made it all the more ironic, as his Sire.

"Did you ever sire anyone else after him?" There was a chance that Kakashi might not have even been Sasuke's first childe, now that Itachi thought about it. "Forgive me, if that was too personal." Curiosity had momentarily dispelled his manners.

“No, I didn’t.” Sasuke didn’t really see the point in making more vampires. Not when there were freaks like Orochimaru who were doing it way too much. “Besides, my job was to kill people to secure the power of the shogunate, not make their enemies immortal. Kakashi was…a special case.”

Itachi laughs softly at the description. "That's definitely true." That was one way to put it. Kakashi was certainly a special case.

Sasuke grows quiet, observing Itachi carefully. The more relaxed posture, the amusement dancing in his eyes, the still composed demeanor, curious and cordial at the same time. He was…very different to Kakashi, and Sasuke had to wonder just how someone like Kakashi picked up someone like Itachi. “How did you meet Kakashi?”

"It was a long time ago…" Itachi sighs at the memory. "After the Moon Landing, we all went out to celebrate. We went out drinking as you might suspect." It had all been so normal. "We were all so happy and got a bit carried away. We stayed out late and were finally leaving the bar when there was an ambush. Vampires." His voice chokes up a bit.

The images of his dying friends and colleagues still haunted him to this day. "None of us knew what was happening at first, most had their throats ripped out instantly. Others tried to run, but no human is faster than a vampire." How could a mere human ever hope to stand against an immortal? "I tried to save them, to fight back, but...I ended up getting mauled. The scent of blood must have attracted Kakashi and…well, he saved me." By turning him.

“And history repeats itself once again.” Sasuke found it rather ironic that this same situation kept happening over and over again. “Let me guess, even though you knew you were dying, you still clung to life anyway? Like a stubborn samurai on a battlefield, or a young shinobi who still had an oath of loyalty to fulfill…”

"Well I’m not sure if I was anything as grandiose or regal as that, but essentially." Itachi nods.

“Circles within circles…” Sasuke felt rather tired, but he refused to go to sleep before morning. “The fact that you were stubborn about it is what attracted him to you, me to him, and Indra to me. You should be proud, it’s not easy to catch the eye of a vampire you’ve never met before. And certainly not easy to get enough sympathy from one to turn you at the drop of a hat. It means that he saw something in you that he liked, and that he wanted to preserve.”

Itachi nods at that and smiles. Well that was a rather positive way of looking at it. "That's true and thanks to him, I've been blessed with a wonderfully long and happy life." At best, he'd be an old man by now, with grandchildren. At worst, he might already be dead, if he was still a human.

Sasuke’s expression falls, eyes fixed on the dark leather of the couch. “Yes…a very long life.” It was as much a curse as it was a gift. “Take this piece of advice from an old vampire. The first few centuries are a rush. Nothing can hurt you, you don’t age, you don’t change. And there’s the trap. Eternal youth seems like a miracle at first. But eventually, you discover just how much of a curse it is.”

"That's how you truly feel about it?" Itachi looks at him with worried eyes. " That it's a curse?"

“It is what it is. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it hinders. And when you’ve seen the kind of death and destruction that I have, it becomes harder to see immortality as a good thing.” Sighing, Sasuke shakes his head, turning onto his back. “Besides, you’re not the one stuck as a horny teenager for the next…however long ‘eternity’ lasts.”

"Well I have to concede that must get rather frustrating at times, but seeing as you're so confident you can charm anyone into your bed with ease...well that doesn't seem like it would be an overly complicated problem to solve." He chuckles at the thought.

“Not complicated, just annoying. But it passes the time.” Sasuke had a lot of time on his hands, and he had to stay sane somehow. “Humans can be hard to get attached to.”

Because of the lifespan issue. "I know the feeling. That's why I won't make an advance unless it's clear they are looking for...a temporary companionship." That was the nicest way Itachi could put it.

“It’s why I prefer them.” And if they got really pushy, Sasuke could just compel them to forget. “The geishas and oirans were easier. People in this era get too attached, too quickly. Some humans are fine, but some…want things that I could never give them.” There was too much blood on his hands, too much darkness around him for that to be possible.

"My taste is different." Though Itachi could understand Sasuke's reasoning, it just felt sad to listen to. "In most instances, if given the choice...I'm more likely to be attracted to another supernatural. They're less...fragile."

“Yeah, there’s that.” There were some supernaturals with human lifespans, and Sasuke would sometimes sleep with them. But like the humans, they were an afterthought, a way to pass the time. “Do you think that Kakashi is going to keep Shizune?” It would be good if he did. Kakashi needed someone steady, someone with a long ‘lifespan’. But Sasuke hadn’t seen either of them in a long time, so Itachi would know better if it was a possibility.

He pauses as he considers that. "He's fond of her. She's more than just pure physical gratification." Though Itachi doubted Kakashi was in love with her or going to fall in love with her. "Though I would say that it's more a friends with benefits situation than anything permanent. They like each other and they like the sex, but I'm not sure that it's anything more than that. I give it at most a thirty percent chance of becoming something more." He was an engineer. "It's possible, but not likely." It was natural for him to see things in terms of numbers.

“Well, one can hope.” Some vampires were happy, Sasuke knew that, and he hoped that Kakashi would be one of them. “In any case, I doubt that you want to hear an old vampire complain about how much immortality sucks. I’m starting to think that you have to be insane to enjoy it.”

"Well honestly, if you live to be over a hundred...I think most people would be insane." He smiles at him. "Though it is rather comical to hear you use modern slang. I don't know why I find it endlessly amusing, but I do."

“I could start speaking the way I did during the Warring States Period.” Sasuke raises an eyebrow at the young vampire. “Is that what you’d prefer?” The Japanese would be absolutely archaic, and even if Itachi spoke the modern dialect fluently, he wouldn’t likely be able to understand a five hundred year-old version of the language.

He smiles at Sasuke. "You should speak however you like, I'm just saying that it sounds funny to hear a vampire your age speak like a university student." He'd probably look rather sexy in a Yale getup. Just the sweater and...Itachi blamed Sasuke for discussing the carnal arts so much for that thought.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, huffing indignantly. “I try to keep up with how university students speak, that way, I don’t seem out of place when I actually leave whichever estate I’ve decided to stay in. It would be strange to them for an eighteen year-old to be speaking archaic Japanese.”

It was just...frankly adorable to watch him sulk. "That makes sense, but it doesn't make it any less endearing." So Itachi kisses the other vampire on impulse.

He was going to tell Itachi to shut up, before the baby vamp kissed him. …Kissed him. …What the hell, it felt good. And he was basically Sasuke’s grand-childe, so whatever. If Itachi wanted to learn a thing or two, he could teach him.

Reaching up, Sasuke grabs Itachi’s hair, twisting his fingers into the long black locks, and plunges his tongue into Itachi’s mouth without even waiting for an invitation. His tongue flicks across the roof of Itachi’s mouth, before wrapping around the baby vampire’s tongue, enveloping and tugging on the soft, wet muscle.

Itachi was surprised when he felt Sasuke kiss back. And not just kiss back, but make love to him with his mouth. He wasn't in any mood to protest though. He happily returns the kiss, moaning quietly into it as he explores the other vampire's mouth with his tongue, silently mapping every corner of it.

Humming encouragingly, Sasuke allows the invasion of his mouth, using his tongue to guide Itachi’s to the most sensitive places there. Itachi was good, he’d give him that, but there was still quite a lot for him to learn. Like how to make a human reach the brink of orgasm just through the extremely sensual nature of a kiss that took decades to master. Itachi sighs in pleasure at the kiss and runs his fingers through Sasuke's hair, deepening it further.

After several minutes of nearly shoving tongues down throats, and teaching Itachi to stimulate every little nerve of the mouth, Sasuke breaks the kiss and slowly drops his hand. “I hope that you took notes, because THAT is how you kiss.”

"You're rather cocky." Though he had a right to be. "I'm sorry though, Professor. I seem to have forgotten my notebook."

Sasuke rolls his eyes as he looks up at Itachi. “Well, hopefully you learned SOMETHING, at least.” Honestly, children these days were so easily distracted. “You still kiss like a baby vampire.” Better than a human, but nowhere near his own skill level.

Itachi gapes at him. "Excuse me?!" Sasuke did not just insult his kissing skills!

The elder vampire pats the young one on the shoulder as he sits up on the couch. “Don’t be offended, you’re plenty advanced for your age, and with an experienced teacher, I’m sure that you’ll progress quickly if you pay proper attention.”

Itachi had no idea how he wasn't supposed to be offended by that. "I'll make you retract that statement!" Honestly, older vamps!

“Yes. Continue to practice, and I’m sure that you will.” Well, Sasuke felt satisfied that he and Itachi had ‘bonded’ as Kakashi wanted. “Besides, it’s not your fault that Kakashi neglected to teach you in a more practical manner. You would have learned faster that way.”

"So what you view making out with young vampires as a public service?" Itachi supposed that was one way to spend your semi-immortality.

Sasuke stares at Itachi blankly. “You are the second vampire I have ever kissed. All of the instances before have been educational. I try to avoid hooking up with other immortals.”

"So it was just me and...who else then?" Itachi almost wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

“Kakashi.” Sasuke would have thought that would be obvious. “I am his Sire, so it was up to me to teach him, or to leave him to learn on his own. And for the sake of the geisha and oiran, I thought that it was best to do the former.”

He'd just kissed Kakashi's ex. "And you two aren't...involved anymore?" Just to be clear.

“No, of course not.” The elder shakes his head. “Not since well before you were born. If we were, I wouldn’t be encouraging him to find a mate.” Sooner, rather than later, because Sasuke wanted Kakashi to be happy.

"Oh good." He didn't want to come between anything. "I'm still not a baby vamp kisser."

“No?” A raised eyebrow is accompanied by Sasuke’s signature smirk. “Then I suppose that you prefer the term ‘fledgling’?” It denoted a vampire the next stage up from a baby vampire, and two up from a newborn. But Itachi was rather cute when he got upset over being called a baby.

"I'm not a fledgling kisser either!" The man was utterly impossible. "You didn't seem to mind my kissing a moment ago!"

“Was I supposed to mind?” He’d kissed plenty of people before. Humans really liked it, after all, and Sasuke indulged them, since they provided a decent, if fleeting distraction. “If it will make you feel better to have me fluff your ego, your skill is far superior to that of humans.”

"Slightly." Itachi sighs. Why was he so upset about this? The man had just finished telling him that he didn't really form emotional attachments with his lovers. "Never mind. I probably shouldn't have kissed you. You just looked so adorable when you were sulking, I got caught up in the moment."

“There’s no harm done.” And, seeing that Itachi was feeling a little on the awkward side, Sasuke rises to his feet, and walks silently over to one of the few bookcases NOT filled to the brim with erotica. The child was likely embarrassed, and Sasuke found that the best remedy for that was giving a youngling space.

He sighs as he watches Sasuke. "Yes, I suppose not." Itachi didn't want to ruin his relationship with his ancestor over one kiss. No matter how amazing it had been.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time Kakashi arrived home in the morning, he had the distinct suspicion that Sasuke was likely asleep in the guest room. Even now, Sasuke still preferred to sleep during the day, unlike Itachi, who was used to being an early riser. The two were so different, yet so similar, that it was rather astonishing.

But, what was important was finding out how their evening went. He’d left them alone precisely so that they would have time to bond without him hovering. So, after walking through the door, he heads for the kitchen, certain that Itachi would be there, eating his rice balls for breakfast, like usual. “Itachi?”

Itachi was indeed there and pouring himself some blood. "Kakashi." He shakes his head, already knowing what he was going to ask. "He didn't attack me. So I suppose our relationship is cordial enough."

“Well, that’s good.” Not exactly the reaction Kakashi was hoping for, but it was looking kind of okay so far. “Not that I thought he would. But it’s always nice to see that my assumptions are correct.” Still, that was a slightly frosty response. “Did something else happen?”

"Nothing worthy of note." Itachi shakes his head. "Don't trouble yourself over it. It's just we are worlds apart." That was putting it mildly.

“I suppose that’s true.” And Kakashi was certain that Itachi didn’t know nearly the whole story. “Compared to Sasuke, you’re still a bright, optimistic, and fairly innocent young vampire. I was too. And I suppose that I still am, to a certain degree.” He approaches the counter, reaching out a hand, and placing it on Itachi’s shoulder. “But that doesn’t mean that you can’t bond with him. If you give him time, I’m sure that he’ll come to love you as much as he does me and Indra.”

"Somehow I find that doubtful." Itachi shakes his head at that. "I don't think that he's going to want to see me again, but I appreciate the sentiment."

Well, that was…interesting. “And just why would you make that assumption?” Kakashi was fairly certain that if Itachi was right, something would be broken. “Did the two of you have a fight?”

"I wouldn't call it a fight exactly." Itachi just knew when he was getting a brush off and wasn't the type to throw himself at him. "No punches were exchanged and there was no shouting."

“I see…well, Sasuke does tend to avoid fighting nowadays, so I suppose it’s not that surprising that it wouldn’t be violent.” It was actually one of the more shocking changes that Kakashi had seen in Sasuke over the many decades. “But that doesn’t mean that no one was hurt.”

"Just my ego, more than anything." He shakes his head. The last thing he wanted was for Kakashi to get into a fight with Sasuke over him. "As I said, it's nothing of consequence."

Oh boy, that wasn’t good. “Then I take it that you’ve had a run-in either with his pride, or his habit of keeping someone at arm’s length.” Or worse, both. “In all of the years that I’ve known Sasuke, those two things are usually what unsettle people the most about him.” Even Kakashi had found him becoming distant, as the years wore on, especially after Sasuke had let him go to run off into the world.

He shrugs at that. It was accurate enough. "Both. It was my own fault really." Sasuke had essentially warned him.

“Itachi, it’s not your fault.” Kakashi sits himself next to his childe, shaking his head. “There are things about Sasuke that you just don’t know. That’s not your fault. Just like it’s not Sasuke’s fault that there are things in his past that make him want to push people away. It’s for their own safety, as much as his. At least in his eyes.” How could he really explain this? “The fact that he agreed so quickly to come and meet you, and made a last minute trip across an ocean should tell you that he’s at least willing to try and get to know you. That’s more than most of the planet can say.”

"I don't blame him for it." It was a common reaction in vampires his age. Sex lost most of its intimacy. So why should kissing be any different? "I'm the one that made the mistake."

Kakashi quickly realized that he was going to have to use a different tactic in this. Approach the problem from the periphery. “Itachi, do you have any idea why Sasuke turned down a second glass of bloodwine last night?”

"I theorize that he half starves himself out of some sense of guilt." It wasn't...completely unheard of, but he'd never heard of a vampire Sasuke's age doing it.

“Not exactly.” Kakashi wasn’t privy to every single one of the details, but he knew enough to have a pretty clear picture. “As you know, Sasuke was a ninja, born into the final years of the Warring States Period. At that time, many of the ninja clans were being used by one side or another, and around the time of Sasuke’s birth, many of Iga’s clans were being killed because of it. But, the Uchiha thrived by serving under the warlords who were trying to unite the country. And later, Sasuke himself served as the personal assassin of Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, recruited at the age of thirteen to kill Tokugawa’s enemies.” But that was only the beginning.

Kakashi thought it was rather deplorable to force someone who was barely a teenager to fight, but times were different then. “There was an incident while Sasuke was serving under Indra, who had been going by the name of Kenji Taira to get close to the Shogun, for the purpose of testing Sasuke’s potential. The incident, incited by Orochimaru, ended with Sasuke dying in Indra’s arms, and waking up transformed into a vampire.” But that was all back-story, and not at all the main point, though crucial for understanding it.

“Now, there is a myth in Japan, not well-known, but for those who know the signs, it’s a rather obvious one.” In fact, until he was turned, Kakashi hadn’t truly believed it, himself. “That a demon with the face of a bird was sent by a god, either to punish the emperor, the people of Japan, or perhaps simply to protect the Shogun and destroy his enemies. This demon worked in the dead of night, slaughtering the enemies of the Shogun, and draining the corpses of blood. Rather like a vampire, wouldn’t you say?”

"You're saying that Sasuke was the ‘demon’ and he was draining their blood." Itachi still didn't see what this had to do with Sasuke's starving himself. "Forgive me, but I'm not sure what that has to do with his diet and stoicness now."

“It doesn’t. It just goes to show that before, Sasuke was very different to the person you see now.” Kakashi had seen it in the later years, but not the bulk of the killing, himself. “For two hundred and sixty-six years, it worked out very well. Sasuke would kill the enemies of the Shogun, and thus, have all of the blood he could drink. Perfect for a new vampire. But it was towards the end of the war that brought down the shogunate, that Sasuke lost his taste for blood.”

Kakashi hadn’t thought it possible for a vampire to be so put off by the very thing that they needed to survive, but he supposed that seeing the ground covered in the blood of your kind was enough to do it. “The night that the emperor’s soldiers attacked the Uchiha Clan’s estate in Iga, Sasuke was nearby, trying to assassinate some of the important generals. We thought that they were simply marching through the province, but it turned out that they were there to destroy the last remaining ninja clan, loyal supporters of the Shogun.”

“It was the night when the ground was soaked with Uchiha blood, despite Sasuke’s valiant efforts to save his family. Until I found you, we were both sure that no one survived the night. And a week later, after burying the dead, we fled the country, sealing up the estate, and taking what we could carry with us.” They’d fled to Europe, to Scotland, where no one would think to look for them. They stayed with Naruto and Tsunade and Jiraiya, and the Uzumaki coven with their boundless energy and vibrant red hair.

That didn’t solve the problem though. “But Sasuke was never the same. He stopped killing entirely, and for the first few years, we had to force him to drink blood. He was disgusted by the notion of drinking it, after seeing so much of his family’s innocent blood spilled. They were his reason for continuing on as a vampire, his reason for fighting. And without them, his spirit simply broke. He’d lost nearly everything he’d ever cared about, I was all he had left, and it took him another four decades before he let me strike out on my own. He was scared of losing me. The various geisha and oiran that he took likings to were temporary, but he still cared enough to visit them and stay, holding their hands as they passed. But after that night, he closed himself off. He seems to have gotten a bit less cold in the last few years, but…” Well, there was only so much that Kakashi could do about that. “In trying not to have his heart shattered again, he’s forgotten how to live.”

Itachi was more than a little dumbstruck by all that. "I don't know what to say." That was quite possibly the saddest thing he'd ever heard. "In light of that, I can't imagine he'll ever speak to me again."

Kakashi shakes his head, snorting softly. “Trust me, Itachi, whatever happened between the two of you cannot be nearly as bad as some of the things I’ve done, and despite all of it, even if he doesn’t show it outright, I know where my place is in his heart. And I’m sure that you’ll have a place as well if you try.” And the silver-haired vampire did hope that Itachi would try, because he didn’t want to see the unspeakable happen to his own Sire. “Besides, I wasn’t late to my date last night, which means that you’re going to be going on vacation to Japan!”

"Kakashi, that is a VERY bad idea!" He knew that his Sire meant well, but this would only end in disaster! "I can't go to Japan with him!" Not after he had kissed him!

“Yes, you can. And you should, it will be fun.” Honestly, Kakashi didn’t know why Itachi was making such a fuss over this. “Wouldn’t you like to see your family library? You may have gone by another name as a human, but legally, your last name is Uchiha.” Since it had never been legally changed from Uchiha in the first place. “You are entitled to certain benefits, and Sasuke is currently holding on to those. I’m sure that he would be, at the very least, glad to have some family again. Apart from Indra.”

He shakes his head. Itachi was curious, but he didn't want to use Sasuke like that. "Kakashi, I don't need benefits. I'm more than comfortable enough living on my own assets." He was going to have to be blunt. "And I doubt he's happy to have me around anymore. I kissed him."

Kakashi blinks. Well, that was unexpected, he didn’t think they’d do THAT. But…maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. “…If your goal is to have him hate you, I guarantee that you’re going to have to try a lot harder than that. One kiss isn’t going to turn him off getting to know you. …In fact, if anything, it might help.”

"I don't want him to hate me." It had been a foolish impulse to kiss him. "We were talking and he started sulking about something. It was just...endearing and I kissed him without thinking about it." Itachi sighs as he remembers the incident. "He kissed back, but Sasuke has made it rather clear that he doesn't have interest in other supernaturals for the most part and when he is interested in sex, it's not about an emotional connection. Which is fine." He'd be a hypocrite if he held that against him. "I've indulged in physical gratification from time to time myself."

"It was just I lost my temper when he kept saying that my kiss was good for a baby vampire. Good for a fledgling." Lacking overall though. "That I'd get better with a teacher, but it hurt my pride. I realized I had made a mistake and that was the end of that. He hasn't said anything to me since."

“Hm…maybe I was wrong not to teach you how to kiss.” Kakashi did regard Itachi more as a son, than a potential lover, but the boy was more than attractive enough that kissing him would have been no chore. “Anyway, I’m sorry about Sasuke, he’s just gotten very bad over the years regarding how to express his feelings. Because the reason that he avoids supernaturals, is that if he got attached to one with the same lifespan, he’s afraid that he would only end up losing them, just like everyone else. So, it’s not your fault, he’s just afraid.” And not unjustifiably so.

Itachi sighs as he glances at Kakashi. "I'm not some lovesick newly turned vampire who thinks that a single kiss means that we're destined to be with one another forever." He might be a romantic, but he was also a realist. "It was more his assessment that rubbed me the wrong way, but I better understand his rather...academic view of sex now."

“Academic indeed.” Kakashi chuckles at Itachi’s description of his Sire. “He is certainly a very thorough teacher in ALL aspects of being a vampire. Though, I suppose that being turned when he did, and by whom he was, it should be no surprise. Besides, he said similar things to me for quite some time after I was turned. So you shouldn’t take it personally.”

"..." He tries to imagine Sasuke's condescending praise being leveled at Kakashi. "And yet, somehow you are still alive. I can't imagine you reacted to such things well." He could imagine Kakashi lunging at Sasuke and the bloody outcome that would result form such a decision.

Yes…Kakashi couldn’t say that he reacted particularly well the first time. “Sasuke is…very good at subduing fledgling vampires without harming them. Though I suspect that most vampires with two or more centuries on you would find it an easy feat.” And it had irked Kakashi the first couple of decades, before he had reluctantly accepted that besting Sasuke was an unlikely outcome, at best. “Besides, he might smack me to try to teach me a lesson, but he would never truly harm me. He may not like to admit it, but he’s extremely attached to me.”

Apparently, more attached than Itachi had initially thought. "Oh yes, he mentioned in passing how ATTACHED the two of you were to one another as well." He didn't know whether he was teasing his Sire or if he felt bitter about that fact. Itachi suspected it was a combination of both.

Kakashi raises an eyebrow at the bitterness in Itachi’s tone. Oh…OHHH…now THAT was interesting. “Well, yes. I suppose that my techniques were rather mediocre as a human. Enough to get by, but nothing particularly impressive. I think that his pride as a Sire wouldn’t allow his childe to visit the geisha without at least SOME advanced skill in the carnal arts.” Was Itachi…jealous? “But yes, he was a VERY attentive teacher.”

"I'm sure that your kissing techniques were far more than sufficient and that he was just being arrogant." This time Itachi couldn't help, but roll his eyes. "Which may have more to do with his age than anything else in all fairness, but does grate on one's nerves."

“And that was precisely my reaction, though…in a less forgiving way.” Yes, Kakashi was fairly certain that there was…something there. Itachi was interested in his ancestor, though to what degree, Kakashi was still debating. “Though I forgave him almost instantly during the first ‘lesson’.”

He was going to get eyestrain, if he kept rolling his eyes. "That's because, forgive me Kakashi, I mean no offense when I say this, but you suffer from nymphomania." Well more like Kakashi enjoyed his ‘affliction’.

“It’s not suffering if I enjoy it.” And besides, Sasuke’s teaching methods had been…well, extremely practical and flexible. And Kakashi had enjoyed them all thoroughly. “Besides, he’s no Shizune, but he has a rather nicely shaped ass.”

"You're saying that you prefer Shizune to him?" Kakashi needed to get his eyes checked, if he was speaking from a purely aesthetic perspective. "Well I guess if one prefers women, the banshee does have the advantage. This is especially true after Sasuke opens his mouth."

Well, Kakashi found the last point hard to argue with. “Sasuke is…difficult to handle at the best of times. In all honestly, I believe that the only being alive that could truly bring him to heel is Indra. But I suppose that he does have the familial advantage. Though I personally do prefer women, there are a few men that have encouraged me to make use of the lessons in both being the aggressor, and…not.”

He gives Kakashi a flat look. "Yes, that's true and I really do not need to know which positions garner your interest the most." For all practical purposes, he thought of the silver haired vampire as his father at this point. Kakashi was attractive, but Itachi really didn't want to dwell on his fatherly figure's exploits too much.

The elder vampire holds up his hands as he senses his Sire approaching. The man was completely silent, one had to give him that much. He doubted that Itachi even knew that Sasuke was coming down the stairs. “Alright. But variety is the spice of life. Best to learn that while you’re still a young vampire, otherwise human ideas about sex might get too ingrained into you.” After all, vampires were extremely…creative, when they wanted to be. It was just another way to stave off the boredom of immortality.

"I'm quite comfortable with variety." He shakes his head. "I just don't need to imagine you participating in said variety."

“Alright, but that’s good. Because Sasuke is too.” Kakashi smiles at the sight of his approaching Sire. “Isn’t that right, Sasuke?”

The eldest vampire stares flatly at Kakashi. “One, you know that I’m not a morning person. And two, it is too early in the day to be talking about sex.” And, as he passes by the youngster on the way to the fridge, he nods slowly. “Hello, Itachi. I hope that you slept well.”

How had he snuck up on Itachi without him noticing?! "Well enough." He didn't realize Sasuke had preferred time-slots for…well, inserting things into certain slots.

“Good.” Sasuke pulls some leftover tomato salad from the fridge, deciding that it was as good a food as any for breakfast. “And Kakashi, if you’re going to tease your childe, you should probably do it where I can’t hear you, otherwise next time, I will make sure to embarrass you.”

Kakashi laughs sheepishly. “Alright, fine.” Though he was rather amused by how quick Sasuke was to jump to Itachi’s defense. “Now, about that promise that you made last night. I think that it would be good for Itachi to spend some time in the country of his ancestors. As far as I know, he’s never been there.”

If looks could kill, Itachi was sure that he would have just staked his Sire through the heart. Kakashi couldn't be serious.

Sasuke doesn’t even bat an eye at the ‘demand’. “You want me to let him stay with me in Japan.” Kakashi wanted Sasuke to have company over. It was yet another transparent attempt by Kakashi to insert people into Sasuke’s life. But…he did agree, so… “That decision is not mine, but his. If he wishes to accompany me back to Japan, then he may do so.”

Never mind staking Kakashi! "Well I wouldn't want to intrude..." Why was he in the middle of this? If he said no, Sasuke would consider that a rejection of their familial bond, likely forever. If he said yes, it was going to be horribly awkward.

Sasuke pauses, scrutinizing the young vampire. “The estate is mine, and unless I say that you are intruding, you are not. But if you are uncomfortable with the idea of going overseas, that is fine. Neither of us will force you to do anything against your will.” And just to make his point, he shoots a stern look at Kakashi, who wisely chooses to remain silent.

"Well if you're sure, I suppose a short visit wouldn't hurt." Kakashi would never let him hear the end of it if he said no. "We do have so much to learn about each other, after all."

The old vampire nods quietly. “Yes, there is much to learn.”

Smiling widely, Kakashi claps his hands together. “Alright, Itachi, why don’t you go and get packed. I’m sure that Sasuke would rather leave sooner than later, and sleep most of the trip away.” His Sire did hate traveling during the day, a dislike from long ago in Edo.

Itachi merely nods as he goes to pack. This was going to be quite possibly the longest and most unpleasant vacation in the history of his existence. He couldn't believe the nerve of his meddling Sire!

* * *

 

A mere two hours later, the private jet was slowly making its way down the runway, heading north-west to Japan. “I can still have the plane stop, if you’d rather not come.” Sasuke eyes his descendant cautiously. The fledgling seemed anxious and uncomfortable, and it wasn’t something that Sasuke liked to see in people he was supposed to be ‘close’ to.

"If you want, I can leave now." He looks out his window, not daring to make eye contact. "I know that you don't want me to come to Japan with you and are only doing this to humor Kakashi, but I made up my mind."

Sasuke takes the decision unblinkingly. “Very well.” Then, he reaches towards a small cupboard built into the floor next to his seat, opening the door to reveal a large selection of spirits. “What do you prefer to drink?”

"It depends on the occasion really." It took him a moment to realize that Sasuke was offering him alcohol. "I'll drink most things, but I like beer the least." It was too watery and plain for his taste. "Wine, vodka, and champagne are my favorites, though." The last part felt silly to admit to a vampire like Sasuke, but it was the truth.

“Good, if beer was your favorite, I would have to disown you.” Sasuke extracts an extremely old, rounded bottle of Peloponnese wine. “This should suit you, then. It’s a strong rosee from Greece. Not quite as strong as vodka, but it’s a fruitier wine that isn’t staggeringly sweet.”

That was rather specific. Maybe Sasuke hadn't soured on him after all, if he was taking such pains to recommend a wine that he thought Itachi would like. "That does sound intriguing and you're joking about the beer preference, correct?" It was hard to tell. He said it in such a matter of fact way.

“Perhaps.” Sasuke extracts two glasses from the upper compartment of the cabinet, before uncorking the bottle and swirling the contents. He pours the dark pinkish liquid slowly, letting the wine touch the air for the first time in what was probably centuries. “I leave the beer to human college students.”

"Yes, that's always been my philosophy as well." Itachi chuckles as he takes the wine and sips it.

Sasuke allows his to breathe a little longer, before sipping at his, and feeling the sweet and sour taste roll over his tongue. “You went to college yourself. What makes you so different from them? Apart from the fangs.”

"Oh, well I haven't been to college in decades." He laughs at that. "Life experience, I suppose."

“Of course.” That was a reasonable answer, after all, Itachi had lived long past his college days, even if he had once been part of that crowd. “Did you enjoy your college years?” Sasuke couldn’t imagine how anyone could stand to learn in such small and crowded classrooms, listening to self-professed experts on their subjects, who did not always practice what they taught. Humans were becoming very strange.

Itachi smiles at him and chuckles. "Oh yes, yes I did." He smirks at that thought. The sixties had been both a perilous and wonderful decade. "When I attended, it was just becoming more fashionable for women to do so."

“I see, that’s good.” Sasuke drains the last of his glass, before reaching into the cabinet again, pulling out a bottle of scotch, and proceeding to uncork it, before drinking a mouthful directly from the bottle. “What about before college? What was your childhood like?”

"While not ideal, it could have been far worse." He shakes his head. "None of it was my parents fault. It was just tough to be born into a Japanese-American family at the end of World War Two and to deal with the stigma associated with that even after the war." And Itachi was pretty sure it was a good idea not to tell Sasuke anything more about the internment camp. One slip was more than enough.

“Yes, there was quite a lot of hysteria, wasn’t there?” Sasuke felt a small pang of guilt shoot through him. “…Nothing like that will happen to you ever again.” No matter how stupid some humans insisted on being.

He chuckles at the sentiment. "That's kind of you, but I assure you that even though you may see me as a ‘baby’ any vampire is more than a match for whatever humans might throw at us." Well for the most part. A stake through the heart did come to mind.

“It’s not because you’re young.” Sasuke puts down the bottle of scotch, watching Itachi closely. “It’s because the responsibility falls to me, not you. And it has fallen to me for over four centuries to protect our family. I failed once. I will not fail again.” Even without drinking a great deal of blood, Sasuke was still far stronger than he was a century and a half ago. Under his gaze, no harm would come to Itachi, not from humans, and not even from vampires.

"Well if you're that determined to be my protector, I suppose that you would have to move in with Kakashi and I or I would have to move in with you." He shakes his head in amusement. "You can hardly keep such a vow, if you're a world away."

Sasuke’s eyes narrow slightly at the boy who didn’t seem to take such a thing seriously. “I have been tempted to bring Kakashi back to Japan, where I would be able to keep a closer eye on him. But considering that he is at an age where he should begin looking for someone to spend the centuries with, I thought that it would be an intrusion to suggest it.” And so, he’d kept his distance after setting Kakashi free. “However, if you find that you like Japan, and wish to remain, I will not stop you.” A small, sad smile crosses Sasuke’s face. “After all, I made that vow a very…very long time ago.”

He really did seem to think that Kakashi was on the verge of finding his bloodmate. "Kakashi has been a vampire for two hundred years. He hasn't found his bloodmate yet." Itachi smiles at him. "So is there really any reason to believe that he would have less of a chance finding them in Japan?" As for the rest, well Itachi would humor him. "I know that you made your vow and you intend to keep it. I guess we'll see how Japan and I find one another."

“I’m sure that you’ll find it interesting, at the very least.” Though Sasuke wouldn’t be opposed to relocating to America for a while. “And whether or not my childe finds his mate remains to be seen. He seemed to have no luck in Japan before, so maybe the wider selection in America will help.” Sasuke could only hope, really. “Despite what you seem to think of me, I do only want Kakashi to be happy. Well, and more punctual, but I’ve resigned myself to never getting that wish.”

"I'm sure that I will and I know that you care for Kakashi." And possibly for him in some abstract way. "Though you're right, he's never going to be more punctual."

Sasuke smirks. “He wouldn’t be Kakashi if he was.”


	6. Chapter 6

After the jet touches down on a private runway built recently, or at least recently compared to the ancient, Heian Period estate, Sasuke leads his descendant through the main courtyard, and into the part of the enormous estate that traditionally belonged to the clan head, with its outdoor, exposed halls, though updated doorways, replacing the sliding screens and paper walls with wood to match the floors, and a light steel and concrete frame. Sasuke had had the upgrades made over the decades in order to properly fortify the estate against being pillaged again.

Itachi gasps once they arrive. "It's beautiful." And absolutely took his breath away.

“I’ve had it renovated a few times.” Which was an understatement, considering that the roofs were now a dark blue, and the wooden walls were painted white and cream, and stained a reddish gold in other places. The walkway up to the front doors was a series of masonry platforms that almost floated on the surface of the clear green water of the ponds. The vibrant orange of the koi contrasted beautifully against the abundant greenery of the riverside estate, the small creeks supplying the water to the ponds and constructed waterfalls.

“Not everything lasted from the Heian Period, and the estate was looted several times after the night that it was attacked.” It hadn’t been pretty, but Sasuke made the best of it. “So I had to do some upgrading and landscaping.” And of course, that meant that electricity ran through the entire house, save for the most ancient parts of it.

"Well whatever you did, it worked." Itachi blinks as he takes in the grandness of the place. "It's stunning. Like something out of a dream."

“It was just as grand when I grew up here, if without the convenience of electricity.” Sasuke could remember the small shrines that had dotted the entire estate. “This is only the main house, though, where the clan head’s family is supposed to reside. The rest of the estate is spread out over several dozen acres. The clan was…not small.” Not at its height, anyway.

That was putting it mildly. "Our clan must have been a rather passionate one." To need this much space for housing meant someone or someones were busy getting busy a lot.

Well, Sasuke hadn’t expected Itachi to interpret it that way, but it wasn’t inaccurate. “Yes, very much so. Though it was also a defensive mechanism. The Warring States Period was…well, from what I saw of it, it wasn’t pleasant. Lots of children were needed because of the chances of dying in battle. Especially when one’s clan was a ninja clan. When I was turned, this house contained my grandparents, my parents, my father’s younger brother, my own siblings, and the children of my eldest brother and sister. They required a lot of room.”

"Oh of course." He should have realized that sooner. "Well on the plus side, I doubt you're going to run out of room anytime soon."

“Not unless I decide to sire myself an entire coven of baby vampires.” Sasuke almost smirks at the thought. “Though I should warn you that apart from the staff, three of my…friends are staying here.” The staff were a necessity, otherwise he would never be able to keep this place running. Besides, it employed a few supernaturals and kept them from causing trouble. So he was doing society a favor, really. His friends, though…that was another matter entirely.

Itachi bit back a rather sarcastic inquiry about Sasuke having friends. "That's alright. If worse comes to worst, we can easily avoid each other." he assures him.

Sasuke snorts with laughter. “You’re six hundred years too young to think that you can actually avoid THEM.” Even he couldn’t, it’s why he was stuck with them. It was like someone used a supernatural super-glue on him or something. Or maybe a really powerful magnet.

"You've piqued my interest and a moderate amount of terror." Who could be that persistent that Sasuke couldn't shake them?

“Good. You’d be wise to proceed with caution.” Sasuke sure did, and he KNEW them. “Jugo is a half-giant who has a habit of attracting birds, squirrels, and fairies. You can usually find him either in the garden, or wandering the house. Suigetsu usually hangs out in the ponds, or the river, but he will pop out of nowhere if he’s feeling mischievous. And Karin…” How to explain THAT woman…? “…She’s the redheaded succubus who will likely try to seduce you the moment that she sets eyes on you.”

A half giant? Itachi didn't know that giants actually existed! "A half giant, a succubus, and what is Suigetsu exactly?" He liked water. That could mean he was just a vampire who enjoyed swimming or something more exotic.

“A merman from a colony of them deep in the Sea of Japan.” Sasuke points the way from the modern foyer, down the inner halls of the gigantic house. “The wine cellar is under the kitchen. If you’re thirsty, ask the chef, Chouji. He should be able to recommend whatever it is you’re in the mood for, and he can cook just about anything you could ask for as long as we have the ingredients.”

"A merman?!" What was next a freaking leprechaun?! Was a unicorn actually going to frolic past them or something? "I'll...keep that in mind."

Sasuke resists the urge to laugh at Itachi’s expression. “Oh, and there’s a dragon nested behind the house.”

Itachi gives him a dirty look. "Now, you're just fucking with me!" And not in the fun way.

The younger vampire was so…cute when he was irritated. Sasuke shakes his head. “Alright, fine, there’s no dragon behind the house. Well, not usually. He usually stays burrowed into the hills a few miles from the estate. But occasionally, he will come to visit. He likes the strawberry wine in the cellar.”

"Right." Itachi rolls his eyes. "A dragon. Of course." If the older vampire wanted to keep this gag going on for awhile longer, he'd humor him.

Yeah, that was Sasuke’s reaction the first time Indra had told him about dragons. Then he met Aoda, and well…yeah, it was kind of hard to refute when you had a giant reptile staring you in the face, with deadly fangs that were as tall as you were. “Just remember that I warned you.” Though it was a good thing that the dragon was really just a puppy in the wrong body. Affectionate was putting it mildly.

Itachi tries his best not to snort. "I'll be sure to be on the look out for any dragons." He nods his head.

“Good, and make sure to remember that the spot right under his chin is where he likes to be scratched the most.” For now, though, Sasuke was tired, and cranky, and really wanted to get some more sleep. “You can have any bedroom not marked with a tassel around the handle.” The decorations were there to show which rooms had been claimed, not that there was a particular shortage of bedrooms available. “The kitchen isn’t staffed in the mornings between four and noon, but if you’re nice to him, Chouji will probably make you something if you wake him up gently.”

"Alright, I guess I'll go find a room then." He smirks at him. "It's important for the elderly to get enough rest. You must be tired by now." And with that, Itachi strides off. That would teach Sasuke to mock his age.

There were easily over a dozen rooms down one of the upstairs hallways, only a few of which had tassels hanging from the handles. The wood of the floors and walls was polished to a shine as the young vampire walked the hall, searching for an appropriate bedroom.

Itachi opens the closest door curiously. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect in this place. What he found, however, was a surprisingly modern room, with small lights built into the ceiling, and longer ones built into a small raising of the floor further into the room, where a large futon sat. Sliding windows decorated the far wall and the one to his left, save for the solid piece of wall that stopped at waist-high, against which sat a long, low desk, balanced by drawers along the opposite wall, closer to the bed. It was extremely modern, considering how ancient the house was.

"It's perfect." He smiles at the beautiful blend of traditional and new. "I couldn't have designed it better myself."

“Sassy’s got great taste, right? Well, at least in furniture. His hair still looks like a duck’s ass though. I dunno why Karin thinks he’s so hot.” A puddle of water moves across the floor, not leaving a single drop behind on the wood. “So you’re Sassy’s great great great great…a bunch more greats nephew, right?” Violet eyes peer out of the puddle, looking up at the dark-haired vampire. “She’s probably gonna have a damn orgasm when she sees you.”

Itachi blinks at that. Holy shit! "Y-Yes, that's right." Sasuke hadn't been kidding about the merman thing. "I'm Itachi. A pleasure to meet you..." He chose to ignore that last part.

The puddle sloshes around, folding in on itself and growing taller and taller, morphing into a human-shaped form, before darkening into a purple shirt, white pants, pale skin, and snowy white hair. “Man, for a second, you looked like you were gonna scream like a little girl!”

"Well it's not every day that a puddle starts talking." Itachi rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

Suigetsu smirks. “Well, I’d say that I get that a lot, but I can’t really do that in front of the humans without causing an actual heart attack, so…” He shrugs. “I’m stuck with scaring the crap out of vampires.”

He wasn't really sure what to say to that. "Well if it's any consolation, you do it very well." Thank goodness his heart no longer beat.

Still grinning widely, Suigetsu ambles around the room. “So, finally come back to the mother country, huh? How long you staying for? A decade? Two? Three?”

"I'm not sure yet." That was the truth. "It could be a very short stay or indefinitely. Sasuke and I are still...getting used to each other."

“Ah…the fun part.” Suigetsu grimaces. “Sassy is…really intense when you’ve got his attention, but he’s a hard guy to get to know. One minute, he’s making fun of you, the next, he’s pissy, and the next, he’s brooding for the next month. I once made the mistake of asking him if he had more than one personality going on in there.” Yeah…that hadn’t been fun.

Itachi sighs and nods. "Yes, the fun part. It's a bit disorientating, but I know that he takes the concept of family seriously...so that's something." Very serious enough to make a vow to him when he barely knew Itachi.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve met anybody as protective as Sassy.” It actually scared the merman sometimes, to see Sasuke’s eyes turn a violent shade of ruby red in defense of someone he supposedly didn’t care about. “He likes to say he doesn’t care. But we all know it’s bullshit.”

"I'm shocked that you get away with calling him Sassy." That didn't seem like the type of nickname, he would tolerate.

Suigetsu’s grin returns. “That’s cause I’ve known the guy for a while. First met back when he was still killing people, but lost track of him for almost a century. We hooked back up a few decades ago, and I’ve been annoying him ever since. So if you’ve got questions about the real Sasuke, you ask me.”

Hooked up as in... "When you say hooked up do you mean...in the most intimate sense possible or something else?" How did that even work? Didn't Suigetsu have a tail?

“What!? Ew! No!” Suigetsu shakes his hands, flailing at the implication. “Sorry, but I only go for the ladies. Sassy can have the men for himself. I’m just stuck to him like a barnacle, is all.”

"For someone who is friends with a succubus, you're a little squeamish." Itachi chuckles at that thought. "But that's good to know."

“Yeah, well, I’ll see her after she’s done drooling over Sasuke again.” Suigetsu rolls his eyes. “She’s always trying to get in his pants. Seems like everyone is trying to nail him.”

That probably explained his ancestor’s arrogance. "Yes, it does seem that way." He tries not to twitch in irritation at that.

“You’d think he was an incubus, not a vamp with how much Karin goes on and on about the energy he puts out. It’s why she’s pissed that he won’t sleep with her.” But that wasn’t really important right now. “Anyway, if you’ve got any questions, just come and ask Uncle Suigetsu, alright?”

"Alright." Itachi smiles, trying not to dwell on the incubus comment. "I appreciate it." Well at least Sasuke wasn't sleeping with the succubus. Not many would turn down such easy companionship.

“Right, now I’m off to try and figure out a way for Sassy to get laid, and not by my banshee of a succubus.” Suigetsu wasn’t really territorial or anything, it just annoyed him that Karin was always comparing him to Sasuke, even though she’d never slept with the vampire.

"Um yeah. Good luck." Wait. His Succubus? The merman was sleeping with the demoness? "Everyone is equal opportunity around here, it seems."

“Yeah, pretty much.” Suigetsu couldn’t argue with that. “Anyway, you should probably get some sleep while you’ve got the chance. We’re all going out tonight, and Sassy is coming with us, whether he likes it or not.”

He tilts his head at that. "Are you planning on dragging a four hundred year old plus vampire clubbing?" That was both amusing and a bit terrifying.

“Well, duh!” It was the most obvious thing in the world, wasn’t it? “You just got here. So we’ve gotta show you what the night life in Tokyo is like. It’s not THAT long a flight.” They could be there in less than an hour if they took the plane. Plus, it was safer than driving.

That wasn't an issue for him? Getting on a plane? "Well I don't mind going to such an establishment, but I'm quite certain my ancestor will protest." Oh well. It was probably rude to ask how he could do that being a merman and all, especially since Sasuke was likely going to whack Suigetsu around like a ping pong ball. Just how long could he keep those legs?

“Of course he’ll protest!” Suigetsu very nearly skips his way out the door. “The dragging is half the fun!”

"Now, I know what a merman on crack looks like." Itachi blinks.

 

* * *

As usual, not even Sasuke’s bedroom was safe from the presence of the most annoying half-succubus, technically, though she sure acted like a full succubus, instead of one of Naruto’s ‘human’ relatives. She would have been turned into a vampire at age twenty-four, as was Uzumaki tradition, were it not for her mother being a succubus. Now, Sasuke found himself stuck with her when she followed him back from Scotland.

And she annoyed the hell out of him when she ambushed him in his room like this. “Karin, what do you want?” He just wanted to lie down in the circular alcove that contained his bed, done in a red, gold, and black Chinese style, but decorated with Japanese scenes instead. And Karin had just pulled the curtain back and barged right in, after barging into his room. The woman didn’t know what a closed door meant, honestly!

"So cranky!" Honestly, she was half succubus. Sasuke should know what she wanted by now. "Does that mean you missed me too?" She smiles cheerfully as she joins him in bed!

“Never do.” Sasuke turns over, pulling the sheets around himself to ward her away. The last thing he needed was her tugging off his sleeping yukata. Again.

She pouts at that. "So mean. How was your trip to see Kakashi?" Oh well. She knew he was more bark than bite when he said things like that. If he truly wanted her to leave, Sasuke was more than powerful enough to force her to do so.

“Enlightening.” An understatement. After all, he’d found himself a descendant, when he thought that such a thing was impossible. “I’m sure that Itachi has found himself a room by now, so if you’re really looking for someone other than Suigetsu, he might be willing to humor you.” Not that Sasuke really expected his descendant to take Karin up on that offer, but it would get her out of his hair.

"What's he like?" She chooses to ignore the Suigetsu comment. It would be almost impossible for one person (no matter their species) to be able to sustain a succubus, even a half succubus.

“He’s…very young, he’s an academic who likes learning, and an engineer who worked on the Apollo program.” Sasuke’s knowledge of the young vampire was fairly superficial, really. “He talks more when he’s curious, but seems on the quiet side. He’s considerate for the most part, but seems prone to random bursts of passion and impulsiveness.”

Karin rolls her eyes at that. "Considerate for the most part? Are we sure that he's your descendant?" The red head laughs at that thought. "Well an academic is good. You probably wouldn't take to him well, if he wasn't smart somehow."

“Well, we haven’t spoken much about academics.” Though Sasuke suspected that would change when Itachi had a chance to browse the library. Hm…perhaps it would be a good idea to make sure that Itachi could actually read kanji first. …And he’d have to teach Itachi some of the older stuff as well, or translate the texts for him.

"Ah well he probably just doesn't figure you'd be interested in space stuff." She smiles.

That was true, Sasuke wasn’t really all that interested in outer space. It was very…new age. And while he could pick up the mannerisms of a teenager of the twenty-first century, picking up the interests of the modern age was a challenge. “I have still been trying to get to know him.”

"Well hopefully you've been playing nice." Karin shakes her head at that. "You can be a bit gruff at times." That was putting it mildly.

Gruff? Really? That’s how she described him? “You make me sound like an old man with a gun collection.”

She laughs at that. Well that was one way to put it. "More like an ancient sexy vampire with a sword collection." Accuracy was important.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, turning over to come face to face with a head of bright red hair. “What’s your point?” Why was she reminding him to play nice? Was she expecting him to try and rip his descendant in half?

"He's probably not used to being treated how you treat me and Suigetsu." Though Sasuke's greetings were usually less biting to Jugo, she noted.

“That’s because the two of you to go great lengths to annoy me.” And unlike them, Jugo was calm and quiet and tolerable, if…a little fond of attracting fairies. “Itachi doesn’t annoy me the way the two of you insist on doing.”

"Awe such a proud grandpa!" Karin pauses as she realizes what she just said. "Well you know what I mean! It's cute!"

She was really not helping her case. “Karin…” Sasuke glares at her with a flash of red in his eyes. “Call me cute again, and I will compel you to go without sex for a week.” It wouldn’t kill her, but it would teach her a lesson, at least.

She gulps at the threat. "So cruel!" Sheesh! He could be so mean sometimes.

“Considering that you came in here, looking to try and seduce me…” Which wasn’t going to happen, because even though Karin wouldn’t get too terribly attached to him, if he hooked up with her, other immortals might think they had a shot. Sasuke wasn’t about to let that happen. His heart had been hurt enough. “I think that it would be a fitting punishment. Besides, one week without sex might actually teach you some discipline.”

"Hmpf!" She rolls her eyes at that. "I'm a succubus. It's my nature to want physical companionship." He was basically telling a cat not to chase a bird. It was just how she was wired and he knew that! Or at least he should by now!

And it was in Sasuke’s nature to want blood, but he wasn’t chugging a gallon of it every day. “And you know that Suigetsu is more than willing to provide as much of that for you as he can.” How Suigetsu could stand to have so much marathon sex was…almost…beyond Sasuke’s comprehension.

"He tries and that's why he's my consort." Karin smiles at that. "Though even he has his limits."

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Sasuke scowls dryly. “And I suppose that you expect me to be your concubine?”

"You can be my second consort or a concubine, if you prefer." She smiles eagerly at his suggestion.

“Not happening. So could you get out of my room before I decide to compel you out?” He could do way worse than that, but Karin could be extremely persistent sometimes. “Because unless you have something important to say, I’m going to sleep.”

She grumbles at that. "Well you're going clubbing with us later." Just so the bastard knew that they weren't going to let him become dull!

There’s a groan as Sasuke presses his head into the pillows, hearing no room for civilized argument in her declaration. Great, just great. “I want at least eight hours of sleep first.” That would take him right into the evening, and maybe make him some kind of functional for whatever his friends had in mind. Because it looked like he was going to be playing babysitter, again.

"Deal." She beams at him. "Have a good sleep! Cause we're taking Itachi too!"

…Fuck.

* * *

 

Suigetsu grins widely in the kitchen as the scent of an excited Karin breezes into the room. “Looks like she pestered the old man into saying yes!” He’d waited about…ten minutes before dragging Itachi down to the kitchen to introduce him to Chouji, who, according to Suigetsu, made the best seafood chowder in the world. “Now we just gotta make sure that he’s got a bottle and a half of whiskey in him, and we’re good to go!”

Itachi shakes his head in amusement. "It's the extra half bottle that makes the difference." Oh boy. What had he just gotten himself into?

“Well, yeah, of course it makes a difference.” Obviously, the kiddie vampire had only seen Sasuke drink a bit, otherwise, he would know what happened, the more alcohol you got into the ancient vampire. “The more he drinks, the friskier he gets. And it’s that half bottle that makes him fun!”

"Thought you only liked women." Itachi smirks.

“Well, Sassy’s as pretty as a woman, especially when he dresses like one. But that’s not the point.” Suigetsu waves his hands through the air. “Point is, Sassy needs to get laid, bad. I would too, if I got stuck as a horny teenager for eternity. But he gets REALLY grumpy without it. So really, getting him laid is doing society a favor. No one wants to deal with a grumpy Sassy.”

Itachi nods at that explanation. "He does seem to have rather conflicted views on sexuality." That was putting it mildly. ‘Instructing’ Kakashi, but refusing freely offered companionship from a succubus.

“Yeah, the guy is a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, shoved into a puzzle box, and then carted around by some crazy cymbal-clapping monkey.” Suigetsu was half-certain that Sasuke was just completely nuts, but pretended otherwise. “Sometimes, he makes perfect sense, other times…you’d be lucky to figure out a fraction of what goes on in that duck-butt head of his.”

"Duck-butt head?" The young vampire raises an eyebrow in amusement. "Really?" The things that came out of Suigetsu's mouth were honestly astounding.

“Well, yeah, you’ve SEEN his hair, right?” The merman nods vigorously. “Naruto totally got it right when he said that Sassy’s hair looks like a duck’s ass. Or like he’s just had sex. Or rolled out of bed. But whatever way you slice it, it sticks up like a duck’s tail-feathers.”

Itachi was really beginning to suspect Suigetsu was either actually bisexual or gay. "I hadn't given the matter a great deal of thought, though it has a pleasant visual appeal to it." He shakes his head.

“Wow, you kinda sound like you just stepped out of England. Must be cause Sassy and the perv spent a lot of time hiding out there after shit went down here.” Suigetsu was quite proud of how he’d picked up modern speech. It was so much more fun than the boring, old, formal stuff. “You probably don’t even speak old Japanese, do you?”

Karin shakes her head and swats Suigetsu playfully behind the ear as she walks into the kitchen. "Be nice! Don't tease him for knowing how to speak properly." Honestly, men! They would find the most ridiculous reasons to tease each other!

"I speak modern Japanese fluently enough to feel comfortable on this trip." Itachi sighs and shakes his head at the merman's question. "As for the older dialects, I’m afraid that those continue to elude me." For now, he was just going to ignore the white haired supernatural's taunting about his speech.

Suigetsu cringes. “Well, then I hope that you like studying, cause if you’re gonna read most of the stuff in Sassy’s library, he’s gonna have to teach you how. Most of it is over three hundred years old, some of it is even from a thousand years back.” And somehow, the ancient vampire could read all of it, and memorize it. It boggled the mind, really.

"I don't mind it." Though Itachi doubted he'd have much use for ancient Japanese in the modern era.

“Good, cause Sassy takes his ancient texts VERY seriously.” Well, maybe Suigetsu meant obsessively, but…Itachi could figure that part out on his own. “Anyway, back to getting Sasuke drunk. We should probably start on the plane, since he’ll go into babysitter mode as soon as we get to the club.”

Karin's eyes sparkle with mischief. "We should definitely start on the plane." To which Itachi could only laugh as he watches the succubus and merman begin to plot like a pair of university students.


	7. Chapter 7

When the plane took off, heading for one of Tokyo’s private airstrips, Suigetsu and Karin contented themselves with taking a pair of seats at the front of the plane, where they knew that Sasuke wouldn’t have to watch them make out. Apparently, watching the two of them ‘try to eat each other’ annoyed the old vampire. And, well…Suigetsu knew when to push his luck and when not to.

In the middle of the plane was a couch, clearly meant for lounging, that Sasuke had claimed immediately, preferring to fall asleep for the plane ride. His sleeveless black shirt displayed his arms, but the high collar that zipped up his left shoulder hid almost everything below his jaw from view. Even before he became a vampire, black was his thing. Only on rare occasions did he mix color into his wardrobe, and even then, only dark colors.

Towards the back, Jugo had claimed a very large chair, clearly designed for the half-giant himself, gesturing to a smaller seat beside him for Itachi to sit in. “Sasuke usually sits there, but it looks like he’s a little preoccupied.” It had been a little unsettling at first, seeing Sasuke sleep without breathing, but by now, Jugo was well used to the sight.

"Ah I see." Itachi nods as he watches his ancestor doze. "Have you been with him long?" It seemed like the half succubus and merman had been hanging around Sasuke for longer than he'd been alive, but the gentle giant was somewhat of a mystery to him.

Jugo nods. “I came here with Sasuke from Scotland when he and Kakashi parted ways. He helped me to escape from my tribe when I was a child.” Giants were peaceful enough most of the time, but they were not overly fond of humans, and certainly not of someone living among them who was a half-breed. “He saved my life and allowed me to come with him when he left Britain behind.”

His ancestor collected 'strays’. That was unexpectedly sweet of him. "Well that's good. I'm glad you were able to escape." Itachi smiles at him. Really, Jugo reminded him of a big Saint Bernard or something. Huge, but friendly.

“So am I. Which is why I do what I can to repay the debt I owe him.” Not that handling a four hundred year old vampire was easy, but he managed as well as a half-giant could.

"He certainly does keep a diverse cast of friends around himself." Itachi observes in amusement. "A half succubus, a merman, and a half giant." At this point, he was half expecting a leprechaun or a fairy to jump out from somewhere.

Jugo chuckles quietly. “Yes, he does. Though I would guess it has more to do with the three of us being too persistent to leave him alone, and Sasuke not caring enough to force us to leave. We keep him from getting…bored.” He could have used a few other choice words, but that one seemed gentler than the others.

Itachi sighs, knowing what bored really meant. "Well I’m glad that the three of you were around to keep him entertained." Otherwise, his ancestor might have died long before Itachi ever met him, or gone insane.

The gentle giant nods, eyes drifting to Sasuke’s still form. “I would guess that when Kakashi told you about him…Sasuke isn’t exactly what you were expecting.” Assuming, of course, that Kakashi told the young vampire much of anything.

"That's one way to put it." He still looked so young to experience so much pain. It made Itachi feel oddly protective of him, even if he was an arrogant prick when it came to kissing.

“Well, then what were you expecting?” Jugo always did find it amusing when people met Sasuke, only for him to be nothing like what they expected. Yes, there was the apathy that came with the centuries that Sasuke had lived, as well as the ruthless assassin that he’d been for over half his life, the angsty teenager, which Jugo suspected wasn’t actually a new development, unlike what Sasuke claimed, or denied. It depended on the day.

Itachi was sure that Sasuke got this a lot, but he'd say it anyway. "A bit older in appearance." He pauses. "Less cocky, maybe. Though I didn't expect him to be so willing to mix with other species or lend a hand to those who needed it." He glances at Suigetsu and Karin. "Even if it is obvious at times they drive him crazy."

“Yes, that’s what most people expect from him. But they’re surprised when they see how forward, he can be, only moments after seeming like he doesn’t care. And then, he can be downright juvenile when it strikes his fancy.” Jugo knew better that most people, though. “I think…once a vampire gets to a certain age, without something or someone to ground them, they start seeming a little disconnected, the different parts of their personality splitting off, and surfacing at random. The inconsistency seems to throw people off.”

"Yes, I've heard of such things." He shakes his head at the thought. "I think that's why most vampires end up siring people. It gives them something to focus on."

“That’s true, but Sasuke seems to think that there are more than enough vampires running around, and that forcing others to bear the same curse as him would be cruel.” Jugo frowns sadly at the thought. “After Kakashi, he refused to sire anyone else. He’s had more than enough opportunity to do it, if he wanted to.”

"Perhaps he just felt guilty about unleashing such a pervert onto the world." Itachi chuckles. "In all seriousness though, you're likely right." He had just been trying to dispel the rather morbid direction this conversation was taking.

Jugo smiles at Itachi’s words. “Yes, well, Kakashi’s perversions aside, I thought that it would be wise to warn you that Sasuke isn’t entirely…stable.” Then again, what vampire was. “If anything should happen tonight, tell me. Apart from that…try to enjoy yourself. If you do…maybe Sasuke will as well. He needs to have some ‘fun’ more than once or twice a year. And maybe some new energy around the house might help.”

It was one thing for him to be boastful or a bit closed off, it was another for one of Sasuke's friends to say that he wasn't playing with a full deck. "I'll keep that in mind." It made Itachi feel a bit wary. What horrors were hiding behind those beautiful dark eyes in that seemingly brilliant, tormented mind of his?

* * *

Annoying. This is why Sasuke hated going out clubbing. The human bouncers always seemed to think that he was a kid, some high school student trying to sneak into a nightclub. He HATED being treated like a child! And he would rather not have to compel obedience from the humans. Honestly, the fact that this nightclub catered to supernaturals meant that it should have merited getting supernatural bouncers as well, but apparently, there weren’t any who wanted the job, or fit the bill.

Hence Sasuke’s current frustration as the bouncer scrutinizes his ID, fake, of course, but only because he was way too OLD to possibly be entering the club, not because he was too young. “Are you going to stare at it all night, or are you going to move?” They didn’t give Jugo or Itachi any trouble, and even Karin and Suigetsu could manage to slip through without much suspicion cast about their ages. But no, not him. If only Indra could have waited a few years, then he would have so many less problems on his hands, and not just in terms of getting into bars without scrambling the brains of innocent humans.

Though he was starting to reconsider that approach…

His ancestor's fury was almost a living, breathing thing, Itachi observes. "I assure you that this man is twenty-one years old." Which meant that it was time for him to save the poor human's life. "Everything is in order and he would not be my boyfriend, if he wasn't already legal." Itachi shakes his head. "Can you imagine having a boyfriend who wasn't even old enough to go clubbing with you?"

While Itachi’s intervention wasn’t the greatest for his ego, Sasuke went with it when he noticed that the bouncer was buying it. “Hm…fine, you can go in.” He glances at Itachi, the next words making Sasuke bristle like a cat. “Just make sure that your little pretty boy doesn’t get himself into any…trouble.” He hands the ID back, and Sasuke had to resist the urge to strangle the oblivious human.

"Trust me, he's gorgeous, but he's not a boy." Itachi smiles at him. "He was more than capable of knocking you on your ass. I just didn't think that would be the most romantic way to start the night." He leads Sasuke into the club before the elder vampire could kill the bouncer.

Sasuke glares back towards the door sourly as they’re met by the flashing lights and loud music of the club. “He’s lucky that I don’t kill humans anymore.” Because this guy was begging to be introduced to his chokuto.

Itachi nods at him. "Very lucky." That had been far too close. "How about I get you a drink?" Maybe, that would soothe his irritation.

Sasuke rolls his eyes. “Fine. I suppose it would look strange if you didn’t. After announcing to the bouncer, and anyone who could hear that I’m your…boyfriend?” He raises an eyebrow. “Really? Of all the things you could have said, that’s what you went with?”

"It was the best I could come up with on short notice and he seemed to believe it." Itachi shrugs as he orders Sasuke a glass of bourbon. "Besides, it's not that shocking. We did kiss once."

“I’ve kissed a lot of people.” Sasuke picks up the glass of whiskey, swirling it around. “Doesn’t mean I’ve dated them.” Not that he had an interest in dating. It was a very…human concept.

"True, but if you weren't willing to kiss someone, it's highly unlikely you'd enter a romantic relationship with them." Dating probably meant nothing to Sasuke. "Besides, it was better than you sending the bouncer to the ER."

“I wouldn’t have sent him to the ER.” Sasuke frowns at the drink, before bringing the glass to his mouth and throwing it all back at once. Then, he motions for the bartender to bring him a quadruple shot of whiskey. “I would have compelled him to let me in. Since I can’t exactly tell him how old I really am.”

"Good to know." Itachi shakes his head in amusement. "Well you could have told him your real age, but he would have probably accused you of being thoroughly intoxicated."

“Not even close…” Not nearly. Not yet. “Trust me, the moment I’m actually drunk, you’ll know.” He tosses back the next glass easily, feeling the whiskey burn a pleasant track down his throat.

He laughs softly at that thought, imagining a drunk Sasuke. "So what kind of drunk are you? Angry, frisky, talkative?" Because this could get very interesting in short order.

“Fun, according to Suigetsu.” The bartender brings over an entire bottle of whiskey for Sasuke, which Sasuke starts pouring into his glass. But as the bartender comes back around, Sasuke glares sharply at him, warning the incubus not to try any funny stuff.

"Oh, good, that means that we should all be expecting lap dances." Itachi smiles at him teasingly as he motions for the bartender to bring him some vodka.

“Well, I’m not drunk yet.” Though as he throws back his third glass, he could be in just ten or fifteen minutes. “I’m sure that you figured out how hard it is to get a vampire drunk not too long after you were turned.” Though the blessing was no hangover the next morning.

"You might not be drunk yet, but you weren't sober enough to deny the lap dance." His eyes were now dancing with amusement. "Good to know." His fangs visible underneath the glowing lights of the club. It was one that catered to supernaturals, after all. There was no need to hide.

Sasuke shoots Itachi a flat look before throwing back another of his own. “If you think that I would ever give Suigetsu a lap dance, you’re dead wrong.” He did enjoy the taste of the well-aged whiskey racing into his stomach, though. It made his cool body feel toasty warm.

"Karin will likely be thrilled that you haven't disqualified her yet." Itachi chuckles as he throws back a shot of vodka.

“Why would I give a succubus a lap dance? She’s more likely to try and give ME one.” And in fact, she had tried, much to Sasuke’s irritation. “Besides, she’s too busy dancing with Suigetsu.” He eyes the dance floor suspiciously as the merman and the sex demon dance all too eagerly with each other. Karin was probably loving the energy out there. She loved clubbing, there was so much energy to feed on, that it was just something that she couldn’t go without.

His ancestor was definitely sulking like a teenager. It was cute and a bit disturbing. "Why don't you have another drink and you can dance with me?" After all, he had told the bouncer that Sasuke was his boyfriend.

Sasuke throws back his…fifth, or was he on his sixth drink? Seventh, maybe? Whatever… “…Fine.” After all, he knew that two hot guys dancing together could lure in all sorts of other partners. Maybe that’s what Itachi was aiming for. “But if you’re going to feed, try to at least be discreet about it.”

"Yes, Sir." Itachi shakes his head in exasperation as he offers Sasuke his hand. "Not everything is motivated by practicality though."

“Sometimes it’s better than letting your emotions rule you.” Sasuke had let his rule him for a while, and it hadn’t ended well. So it was just better to shut them off when they became too much. “But I suppose that you’ll see that…sooner or later.” Still, as he takes Itachi’s hand, Sasuke kind of hoped he wouldn’t become so disillusioned. Because it was a dark and quiet path to walk for eternity, and he wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

Itachi smiles as he wraps his arms around Sasuke. "That may be true, but there are states between being a slave to your emotions and feeling nothing at all." He sounded so tired...Itachi was afraid that he might have met Sasuke too late. Had he been introduced to an ancestor with one foot already out the door?

“Yes, I know, and I’ve lived every state in between.” Sasuke sighs, pushing himself out of Itachi’s arms, and reaching back to the bar for one more glass of whiskey, filled to the brim. This was not a conversation that he wanted to have right now, so, this was the best option.

As it races into his stomach, joining the rest of the whiskey, he starts to feel the buzz. The happy buzz that only came after consuming copious amounts of alcohol. “Come on, you wanted to dance?” He tugs on Itachi’s wrist, heading to the dance floor. It was easier to focus on than…other stuff.

Itachi frowns at the rebuff, but nods as he allows himself to be lead off. Sasuke, it seemed, wanted to lead and that was a small concession to give, if it meant snapping the other vampire out of his temporary melancholy. Well hopefully, it was only temporary.

Well, this positioning was going to be awkward. Sasuke didn’t usually dance with someone who looked so much older than him. Not to mention who had a couple of inches on him. Damn Orochimaru for getting him turned so young! “Might as well make a show of it, right?” His eyes flash red for a second as he turns his back to his partner, and takes Itachi’s hands, wrapping them around his waist.

"Of course, I’m sure that Karin will quite appreciate our...efforts." He hadn't expected Sasuke to allow him to lead. Then again, he almost had to. "You look amazing by the way." And rarely, did they make asses as fine as the one that was currently pressed dangerously close to…well, some rather intimate areas.

“Thank you. And Karin DOES appreciate it when I get drunk. Especially when we’re out clubbing. She says that I put out the most sexual energy in the room.” Not that he really cared. It was just something positive that came out of his unfortunate tendency to get very horny, very fast when alcohol was involved.

He chuckles at that as Itachi sways to the music with his adorable ancestor. "Well I can't taste sexual energy in the way she can, but I'll take her word for it." Though he might be soon vying with the older vampire for that title. It was a bit embarrassing, but Karin would likely be fully aware of his attraction to Sasuke by the end of the night. Whether he said anything about it or not.

“Yeah…” The alcohol and music making his head fuzzy, Sasuke presses back against the surprisingly warm body behind him. Well, then again, maybe that wasn’t so surprising. Itachi did drink more blood than he did, and he noticed that vampires’ body temperatures varied both with age, with the amount of blood that they drank, and just from one vampire to the next as well. And Itachi…he was warm…almost as warm as a human. It was…nice.

Itachi smiles and glides his hands over Sasuke's hips. "Don't get me wrong, I still think that you're highly conceited in certain areas." Making a show of it as their dancing became increasingly more intimate. "But I’m glad that we met. I love Kakashi like a big brother." He couldn't really call someone as casual as Kakashi a father figure. "It's just not quite the same though. Not the same as having an actual relative. Even if it is distant."

“I know.” Sasuke leans back further into Itachi, his head getting…very fuzzy. He was finally absorbing the bulk of the alcohol, and he was starting to feel…a little hot, himself. “But we can talk later. Just dance.” He grinds back up against Itachi, his eyes glowing a little brighter.

"Alright." He just hoped that Sasuke didn't notice the reaction that his little display of Sexy Dancing was evoking. "Just dancing then." Because that would more than a little humiliating.

Sasuke’s eyes flit around the room, searching out someone suitable, either for Itachi to feed from, because it was no secret that some humans, and some supernaturals liked that, probably more than was healthy, or someone for him to sneak off with and fuck tonight. After all, even a four hundred and thirty-two year old vampire had needs. Especially if they were stuck in a teenage body. “Are you hungry, Itachi?” One of his hands travels up, brushing past Itachi’s shoulder, and blindly caressing his cheek.

He was, a little, though not necessarily for food. "I could eat." Itachi smiles at him slyly. "Though I doubt that this is what those commercials had in mind when they urge you to drink responsibly."

“Not at all.” Sasuke doesn’t miss a beat. “But I’m sure that once the secret eventually gets out, there will be ads that work a little better for their supernatural clientele.” He grinds back up against Itachi again, an eyebrow rising, and his lips quirking into a smirk. “Someone’s excited.”

"I'm sure they'll make the necessary revisions to make them more inclusive as well." He chuckles, but soon a rosy blush stained his cheeks at Sasuke's words. "Maybe a little." There was no point denying it. Sasuke was more than experienced enough to realize that Itachi was already half hard.

Sasuke chuckles as he runs his hands back over Itachi’s thighs, glancing up at the young vampire as he turns his head. “So it seems that alcohol and clubbing has that sort of effect on you as well.” In that case, maybe it was best to find Itachi a supernatural, and not a human. “Do you have a type that you prefer?”

"Depends what type your asking about." Food or a companion. "Though I guess we all have our preferences." It'd be a lot easier for his arousal to go away if Sasuke wasn't touching him like that. His ancestor must be teasing him. "I'm not that picky when it comes to food. I have preferences of course, but I’ll drink almost anything. Except werewolf blood...it tastes too metallic."

“Alright…” Sasuke notes the crimson glow of Itachi’s eyes, knowing that it was best to move quickly. “There’s a couple of fairies in one of the booths, I’m sure that they’d be happy to indulge you.” Fairies had very magical blood, and were often a favorite feed of vampires, assuming that they could charm a fairy. Those two girls may look rather delicate, and unusually human, but Sasuke knew that fairies were much tougher than they looked.

"Dirty dancing and trying to give me a sugar rush, " Itachi smiles slyly. "If I didn't know better, I would say that you're trying to seduce me, but I'll go introduce myself to the fairies."

“Good.” And Sasuke…well, he’d noticed that there was a rather delicate-looking young man milling about on the dance floor, and judging by the cold, minty aura he felt, the boy was the son of a yuki-onna, a snow woman. That could be a fun night.

Tapping Itachi’s hands and extricating himself from his descendant’s embrace, Sasuke turns slowly and eyes the fairies. “Good luck, Itachi. Maybe we’ll both have some luck tonight.” Not that he needed luck, he was sure that the snow demon would be amenable to having some fun for a few hours.

Itachi was less than pleased about the implication, but tries his best not to show it. "I believe I can manage a couple of fairies." It would be a very foolish fairy that tried to cross a vampire. Mischievous, they might be. Never stupid though, he thinks to himself as he strides over towards the girls, feeling as though he just had a bucket of ice water thrown over his arousal. How fitting that Sasuke's companion was...well Itachi wasn't sure WHAT the youth was exactly. He just knew the youth was somehow connected to snow.

Itachi makes his way over to the booth and smiles at the fairies there. "Hello." This was one supernatural creature that from his readings, should be fairly easy to understand and if nothing else, he was quite certain, if they let him nip...their blood would taste better than a werewolf's.

“Hello there, gorgeous.” The dark-haired fairy gives him a once over, smiling sweetly at the vampire. “Care to join us?”

"I'd love to." He smiles and sits with them. "I'm Itachi. May I have the honor of knowing the names of the beautiful fairies that sit before me?" He wasn't entirely sure, but he figured that fairies probably favored older speech patterns.

“Kira.” The raven-haired girl smiles, silvery eyes glowing in the semi-darkness of the club. “This is Akari, my sister.” She nods to the ebony-haired girl beside her, with eyes of gold, rather than silver.

Akari smiles slyly as she slides towards Itachi. “And here I doubted that we’d find any gentlemen tonight. It seems that my little sister was correct after all.”

"Well I do try my best though perhaps, gentlevamp is more accurate." They seemed receptive enough. Maybe, it was time to see if they were skittish of vampires by flashing his smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you both." So that's precisely what he did. There was no mistaking his species now.

Both girls grin, and Akari moves closer, her hand moving towards Itachi’s thigh. “We know, we could tell as soon as you and your Sire walked in.”

"How could you tell?" Was there some kind of vampdar that fairies had, that no one had bothered to tell him about? "My Sire? Oh. You mean the other vampire. No. He's not my Sire." His grand-sire actually.

“He’s not?” Kira blinks, bemused by the response. “Your lover, then? He’s too old to be your brother. And he exudes more power than anyone else here. We’re fairies, we can feel it in the air.” That translated to him being older.

"He's not my lover. You can tell the difference in species just by the air?" That was certainly a useful ability. "He'd probably kill me for saying so, but I suppose technically he's my grandsire. He sired my sire."

“Oh, is that so?” He was even older than she thought, then. Well, that was still fine with Akari. “We’re friendly with vampires, so if you’d like to invite him, that’s fine.” In fact, it was a rather exciting prospect to the sisters. Powerful old vampires were notoriously good in the sack, second only to sex demons.

Kira eyes the older vampire dancing with the snow demon. “Eternally young and gorgeous… Our kinds are both rather blessed.” And the older vampire was definitely her type. They both were. “But we may have to pry him away from the snow demon.” She runs her foot up along Itachi’s leg, slowly.

Itachi wasn't entirely adverse to that. He very much wanted to pry Sasuke from the snow demon, but he wasn't sure how Sasuke would respond to such a thing. "Yes, we're very lucky when it comes to our respective species, though my grand-sire's temper can be unpredictable. I'm not sure how he'd react to having his hunt so to speak disrupted." Amusement, annoyance, or fury at his meal being interrupted. Then again, there was a chance for all he knew that Sasuke might very well end up preferring fairies to whatever the snow demon was.

“It doesn’t appear to me that he’s on the hunt.” No, Kira knew that look, the older vampire was looking for a good time, not for blood. Proven, when the man’s hands start sliding all over the snow demon. “But it does appear that he’s very good with his hands.” Her eyes glow a little brighter, already imagining those strong hands all over her instead. After all, what was the point of going to a supernatural nightclub and not finding someone to hook up with?

"Well there is more than one form of hunting." Itachi tries to keep his irritation out of his voice. "Perhaps we should go and invite him to join us after all?"

It was probably irrational, but he felt less annoyed by the thought of the fairies trying win over Sasuke's affections than the the snow demon. "My apologies, Ladies." Probably because Sasuke hand's had been touching HIM in a similar fashion only moments before and the snow demon was also male. Yes, he knew that he was being a hypocrite, but he couldn't help it. "I'm afraid that I must cut our evening short. One of my friends over in the corner there looks rather upset."

He gestures towards the corner where there was well what he assumed was a crying vampiress. "Another time?" That or maybe a human. It didn't matter. She would provide as good an excuse as any.

Akari and Kira share a glance and sigh. “Well, if you change your mind, we’ll likely be here another half hour.” Unless another attractive patron caught their eye.

"Thank you." He smiles at them and bows politely before sauntering over to the girl. "You will pretend that we know each other and that I have comforted you." It turned out that she was just a human who was dressed like a supernatural. "After which, we will walk outside together. You will wait a few moments and then do as you please."

Compelling wasn't something that he did lightly and he hated doing it to some random girl, but he wanted his story to match up with the fairies. "After which, you never saw me unless those two fairies over there ask. Do you understand me?" Just in case they approached Sasuke and 'tattled'. "Nod your head once if you do."

The girl nods dumbly, the tears that were once streaking down her face slowed to a crawl. “Okay.” She had no idea what was going on, just that there was a fog falling over her, and that there was an inhumanly gorgeous man standing in front of her.

He smiles at her and briefly offers her a hug before escorting her outside. Somehow managing to only bump into two or three people before he was able to open the door for her. "Thank you." This must have all been terribly confusing to her, but it would be over with in a moment. "Wait about three minutes and then you can carry on as you like." Itachi smiles at her.

“Uh-huh.” Her face remains fairly blank, only a slight, dazed smile present there.

After the minutes pass, Itachi breathes a sigh of relief as he watches her leave. "That was easy enough." He had managed to get away from the situation before he did something stupid.

* * *

Sasuke’s arms wrap around the half-demon in front of him as he nuzzles the young man’s neck. He smelled good, like a minty winter’s frost. “You’re a very good dancer.” There was none of the crude grinding that one would expect from a college student. Just effortless, sensual grace.

"As are you." Haku smiles at Sasuke. "I do hope that I didn't cause any problems with you and the one you came with though."

“With Itachi?” Sasuke frowns, eyes scanning the room for his descendant, finding only a flash of him as he hurries out the door. Now that was strange, the fairies weren’t going with him. And there was…a trace of bloodlust in the air. Not good. “…I’m sorry, it seems that I have a fledgling to babysit.” And what rotten timing too. He was just getting somewhere with Haku.

"Ah well, I’m a regular here." Haku smiles at him. "So perhaps, we'll run into each other at a later date. Go and do what you need to do." After all, having a fledgling vampire running amok might not end well and as much as Haku had been looking forward to a more sensual evening, he wasn't stupid. The safety of the club's patrons came before his own pleasure.

“Yes, maybe.” Sasuke smirks as he leaves Haku with a kiss, before weaving his way through the crowd and heading for the door. The last thing he needed was for Itachi to attack someone. And from what he’d seen, Itachi had walked out with a human. Not good.

Once out the door, Sasuke spots the human girl walking away, looking very compelled, but there was no smell of blood on her. Good. Itachi, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen. Not good. …if he were a fledgling vampire, where would he go? Sasuke had always had a fondness for heights, so maybe…

Bending at the knees, Sasuke looks to the sky, jumping up the whole three stories and onto the roof. Bingo. “Itachi? What happened?”

Damn it! This was the last thing he wanted. "Nothing happened." He glances at Sasuke trying to act as casual as possible. "I didn't hurt that human girl, if that's what you're worried about and the fairies are both perfectly fine."

“Yes, I saw.” Sasuke frowns, noting that Itachi was…jumpy. And his eyes were glowing red, instead of a shimmering smoky black. “Are you alright?” That feeling in the air was dissipating a little, but then again, that could just be Sasuke’s own aura smothering Itachi’s.

"I'm fine. Don't ruin your evening on my account." Wonderful. Now, he was making a scene. "I just needed some air. The club is very loud." That wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the reason why he had left. Hopefully, Sasuke would buy it though.

The older vampire’s eyes narrow. “We don’t breathe anymore.” The last thing that a vampire actually needed was air.

"It's...an expression, Sasuke." Fuck. He had really screwed up.

“I know. It’s a human expression.” Who did this fledgling think he was fooling? He was obviously upset, and an upset vampire was a dangerous thing. “We’re not human, so you might want to try coming up with a better excuse.” He advances on the young vampire, brows knitted as he takes in the state of him. “I felt traces of your bloodlust inside the club. You need to feed, don’t you?”

"I wasn't thirsty." Well no more so than usual. "I left to avoid this precise situation." To avoid causing a scene.

Ah…he was uncomfortable. It seemed that he had a bad habit of doing that…making Itachi uncomfortable. “I see.” Sasuke reaches into his back pocket, finding a set of keys, along with a small button and transmitter. He presses the button, letting it glow for a moment. “There will be a car coming in fifteen minutes. It will take you to my apartment here in the city. The others will probably be out all night, so we’ll leave in the morning.” He tosses the keys to Itachi, his expression perfectly calm.

"Oh." Itachi blinks. "Thank you." In some ways, the fact that Sasuke knew that he was upset and had given up without determining why exactly was worse than admitting to his petty jealousy. "I'll see you in the morning then." Certainly, it was far more hurtful, but in the end...Sasuke had probably saved them both a great deal of embarrassment.

Sasuke nods. “Goodnight, Itachi. Be safe.” Then he turns and disappears from the roof without a sound. After all, he’d rudely left a snow demon hanging.

He barely resists the impulse to punch the roof. "Damn it!" It wasn't the building's fault that he had stupidly gotten attached to a vampire who clearly was far more interested in easy sex from a pretty snow demon than…well, him. "What was I thinking?" After all, he hadn't actually thought that Sasuke wanted him that way. Other than to 'teach him' the proper way to do things, apparently. "I'm such an idiot."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celestia193's Author's Note: This chapter will showcase another turning, which means that it's another chance for me to bring my history buff side out of the closet for a reason outside of class.

Early in the morning, after dragging a very hungover couple back to the private plane, Jugo pays a visit to Sasuke’s apartment overlooking most of the city, where he knew that Itachi would be. Sasuke had left the club with the snow demon, but not before telling Jugo where to find Itachi.

Which is why he walked quietly through the surprisingly modern apartment, designed for both practicality and comfort with the sliding and transforming furniture, hidden cubbies, and stylish layout meant for impressing important guests. And for those precise reasons, Sasuke didn’t stay here often. The old vampire preferred the comfort of his childhood home. Jugo was fairly certain that it was the only place Sasuke ever felt at peace. And even then, those moments were few and far between.

He turns the corner from the kitchen to the living room, and then another corner to knock on a plain white door. “Itachi? Are you awake?” There was every chance that the young vampire might not be. After all, most vampires preferred to sleep all day, and Jugo wouldn’t blame him for that.

"I'm awake." There was no point in denying it. "Good morning, Jugo." Or delaying the inevitable. He was most likely going to have to face Sasuke soon.

Jugo lowers his hand, stepping away from the door. The vampire…didn’t sound very happy. “Would you like to eat before we go?” Maybe he just needed some time before going back? Things had seemed a little tense between the two vampires last night.

"That's kind of you, but I’m not hungry." Even hours later, the thought of what happened last night still made Itachi feel as though he wanted to vomit.

The half-giant sighs, turning to return to the living room. “…Then we can leave when you’re ready, but Sasuke will wait for you to arrive, so there’s no need to hurry. He’s sleeping in the plane right now.”

"Alright." He stretches, trying to act casually as he opens his door and follows Jugo into the living room. "I'm ready then." The longer he put it off, the worst it would be.

Jugo nods, but takes a moment to scrutinize Itachi. “Have you slept at all?” Itachi sure didn’t look like he had. Had something gone wrong last night between those two?

There was no point in lying about something so obvious. "Not at all, but it's hardly the first time that I've pulled an all-nighter." He smiles at the half giant reassuringly.

Oh boy… “Does it have anything to do with Sasuke following you out of the club last night?” Jugo hadn’t thought much of it at first, since Sasuke was capable of handling just about anything. Now…he wasn’t so sure.

"I like you Jugo." Itachi shakes his head and sighs, already feeling guilty. "I'd rather not involve you in something that was clearly my mistake. It's not one that will get anyone killed though." He might as well clarify that part before the orange haired man grew too alarmed.

“If that’s what you’d prefer…” It still didn’t sit well with the ginger giant to just leave the fledgling to wallow in his own problems. “But if you want to talk about it…I am here to listen. And so is Sasuke. He won’t press if you’d really rather not talk, but he does care.”

"I know that you are." He smiles at Jugo, trying to hide how he felt about the other part. "It does mean a lot, but I’m simply blowing things out of proportion. It will pass." Sasuke cared about his physical safety. His mental safety…well that was clearly debatable.

“Alright, if you’re sure…” Jugo wasn’t, but he’d drop it for now. After all, it would be wrong to press the issue if Itachi didn’t want to talk about it. “Come on, the others are waiting.” And he was fairly sure that Suigetsu and Karin would be trying to wake Sasuke up and drive him crazy by the time the two of them made it to the plane.

Itachi nods and follows Jugo. Somehow, he was going to have to act as if nothing was wrong when he saw Sasuke. It was going to be extremely difficult, but Itachi figured he might as well try for an Oscar.

* * *

It was nearly eleven when Sasuke heard Jugo and Itachi’s footsteps approaching the plane. Good. It meant that nothing had happened to Itachi during the night. Well, except maybe sleep deprivation. Sasuke’s eyes narrow a little as the two board the plane, revealing slight bags under Itachi’s eyes. “You’re here.”

"Of course." Itachi nods at him. He didn't miss the narrowing of Sasuke's eyes. Perhaps, the other man knew why he had been upset after all. "Jugo was kind enough to give me a ride."

Sasuke tilts his head towards a large, reclining seat. “Sit. You look like you need to sleep.” He had likely been dwelling over whatever he hadn’t wanted to say before.

"Some sleep would probably be advisable." Itachi nods as he sits down.

Watching for a moment as Jugo makes himself scarce, and drags the two kissing idiots back with him, Sasuke sighs quietly. “I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable last night. I put you in a situation that you didn’t want to be in.”

He shakes his head as he looks out the window. "The fault was completely mine." Itachi hadn't actually thought Sasuke wanted him that way, so he wasn't sure why he had bothered to get jealous. He wasn't the type to pine. While he rarely got rejected, when he did...he got over it quickly.

“We all make mistakes.” And Sasuke knew that he had made more than his fair share in his early days as a vampire. “But making others uncomfortable is an unfortunate habit of mine.” He should have simply let Itachi be. “It’s not your fault.”

"Be that as it may, my emotional response was out of proportion and that's not something that happens to me often." He might as well admit it. "I'm not the jealous type."

…Oh. That certainly explained a lot. “I can’t give you what you want.” If he was interpreting that remark correctly, then Sasuke knew what Itachi wanted, what he hoped for…and he just wasn’t capable of giving that to Itachi. “So, there’s no reason to be jealous over someone like me.”

Itachi rolls his eyes at that response. "I'm not that naive Sasuke, you've made it perfectly clear what you think of me. I never expected you to love me in that manner." It was just...irritating. "It was more the fact that mere moments after you were teasing me, you were off with that damn pretty boy demon and two fairies wanted to fuck you, that set me off."

"And despite what you think, you're capable of romantic love, if you want it." He had seen the hurt the man still carried about his family centuries later. "I don't expect it to be with me, but you'll find someone that can hold your attention someday. You'll find a bloodmate." And that was that. Itachi had said his piece.

Sasuke’s heart sinks at those words. “Maybe.” But honestly, he’d given up a very long time ago. An easy way to find it out was to drink their blood, and Sasuke didn’t drink from people anymore. “You’re young, but you should keep that optimism. It will help you when you find a mate for yourself.” One that deserved someone as passionate as Itachi. “Anyway, if I ever make you feel uncomfortable, say so, and I’ll stop.” If he didn’t figure it out beforehand, anyway.

"That look on your face makes me uncomfortable." He glances at him. "We aren't lovers and that's fine, but we are family and that look makes me worry that you're going to...kamikaze yourself one day." He'd given up on finding a bloodmate. He just said maybe to pacify Itachi. At least that was the case in his mind, when he saw the other vampire's face.

…Well, Sasuke could make no promises one way or the other. Just this. “The day I find a bloodmate…will be the day I enjoy drinking blood again.” It could happen. It was unlikely, but if one happened, the other would as well.

Why did Itachi get the impression that Sasuke had just told him he'd find a bloodmate when Hell froze over? "Well...that's something." He sighs. Sasuke was certainly a stubborn one.

* * *

It felt like an eternity. But in reality, the plane ride was actually short. Itachi knew that to be the truth. Still, he couldn't help but feel relieved when they finally arrived back at Sasuke's home, and Itachi was safely secluded in his own room where he could collect his thoughts and call his Sire.

“Itachi? It’s good to hear from you.” Kakashi’s bemused, yet cheerful voice echoes through the phone. “How are you enjoying Japan? It’s a rather nice place, isn’t it?”

"It's beautiful." He pauses, not sure how to say this. "And Sasuke's property is glorious. Like something out of a dream, really." Though that wasn't what he called to discuss. "I'm not sure...if it is a good idea for me to stay here, but I don't want to leave him after everything either." Sasuke was a vampire that seemed to have one foot in the afterlife.

Oh boy…that was a conversation that Kakashi really hadn’t been looking forward to having. “He’s gotten worse, then…” He knew that it would happen eventually, but he’s hoped that it wouldn’t be so soon. “What happened?”

Itachi sighs guiltily. "It was my fault." He shouldn't have gotten jealous. "Sasuke isn't angry with me, but he feels guilty. My emotions didn't want to follow a logical course." It was probably best to clarify. "No one was hurt." Physically, at least.

Not good. “Itachi, Sasuke has a habit of internalizing his feelings of guilt, eventually locking them away to let them fester, like most of his other emotions.” Kakashi knew well that his Sire wasn’t in a good place, and hadn’t been for a long time. “I thought that family might help to open him up a little. Especially since you can be as emotional as Sasuke, sometimes.”

"Yes, I realize that." Though it didn't help Itachi in the slightest when it came to helping Sasuke. "He was just doing what any vampire his age is likely to do without a bloodmate." He shouldn't have gotten jealous.

Slowly spiraling off towards oblivion. But…that gave Kakashi an idea. Maybe it was a long shot, and maybe it wouldn’t work. But…there was no harm in trying, right? “Then maybe that’s exactly what he needs.”

Itachi shakes his head. "I highly doubt that casual sex is what is going to solve his issues." If that had been the solution, Sasuke would likely already be fine. "He...was dancing with me at the nightclub. Showed me where a couple of fairies were for me to feed on and then walked off with a snow demon." And probably slept with him. Not that it was really any of Itachi's business.

“Not casual sex.” Kakashi sighs, exasperation finally coloring his voice. “He is over four hundred years old, and very few vampires make it to that age without finding their bloodmate, or at least a mate at all. He needs…love.” Maybe it was his inner romantic talking, but that didn’t make it a lie. Even a vampire as old and apathetic as Sasuke needed some light, some hope in his life. In fact, he needed it more than most others.

"I believe he's given up on that concept." The man half starved himself as it was. "Besides, I don't think he bites anyone at this point. So how would he ever know?"

“Yes, he has.” Kakashi would concede that point. “But just because Sasuke has nearly given up the fight…doesn’t mean that the rest of the world does.” And for once, Kakashi actually pitied Indra. It must have been very difficult to raise a teenage vampire, especially one like Sasuke. “He may be twice my age, but he’s still an adolescent in some ways. He’s naturally emotional, he just locks that part of himself away. He doesn’t allow himself to FEEL the things that he should. And maybe he needs a little sense smacked into him.”

Well that was easier said than done. "And how do you propose one goes about smacking sense into a four hundred something year old, vampire ninja?!" Because Itachi couldn't imagine that would be easy.

“Hm…” That was a good question. “Get him worked up and show no fear. After all, he’s at less than half his full strength.” It was a pitfall of a vampire who starved themselves, their strength waned considerably until they got sufficient blood back into their system.

"Half his full strength is more than enough to end almost anyone." He wasn't even a century old. That meant that Sasuke at a minimum had the strength of a two hundred year old vampire and likely even more thanks to his skills in physical combat.

“True. Anyone that isn’t you.” Kakashi knew for a fact that Sasuke wouldn’t kill Itachi. It would violate every moral code that Sasuke had ever set for himself. “He would never harm his own flesh and blood, no matter how thin the ties might be. Take advantage of THAT, and you take advantage of HIM.”

That was a bit disturbing. "And what exactly am I supposed to do? Force him to drink the blood of everyone he comes across until he stumbles upon his bloodmate?" The idea was ludicrous on its face.

“No, of course not.” But Kakashi did have one place Itachi could start. “If you could get a taste of his blood, there’s a chance that you could sniff out the one that best complements him. I remember the taste of his blood well, and no one that I’ve fed from has proven to have blood to match or complement his.” Though he had to admit that Itachi’s was eerily reminiscent of Sasuke’s, while a complete contrast at the same time. Maybe a familial thing, but…now, Kakashi wasn’t so sure. Maybe…if he could give the right push…

"I have no idea how such a thing would be possible." He was supposed to be able to tell by Sasuke's blood's taste? And compare it to others?

“Trust your instincts, Itachi. They’re there for a reason.” That was one of the first lessons that Kakashi had taught his childe. Within reason, of course, since the instinct to rip humans apart while feeding on them was not the best one to indulge.

If Kakashi was there, he would smack him. "I don't need inspirational speeches." Naturally, he intended to tell his Sire as much. "I need a way to fix this because at best, he's going to wither away at this rate." Wait was that at best or worst? Would it be better to have Sasuke go quickly or slowly, if he couldn't cling to his survival instincts anymore? "I'd smack you for that answer if you were standing next to me by the way."

“I know, but go smack him instead. He needs it more than I do.” After all, Kakashi wasn’t the one actually in danger of sending himself to an early grave.

* * *

Dressed entirely in black and royal blue, Sasuke twirls his sword through the air, moving fluidly through his forms out in the garden. Stepping from one stance to another is an art, one that Sasuke hadn’t put to use in a very long time. But even if there were no conflicts that required a ninja to fight, that was no reason to allow himself to grow dull, rusted, unusable.

No, he was far too proud to allow such a thing to happen.

Reaching into the sheath opposite his chokuto, Sasuke draws out a tanto, holding it in his right hand as his left takes the lead, swirling him into a veritable whirlwind of death. Well, death of the bamboo stalks, anyway. They made for good target practice, and grew quickly enough that the targets could be replenished by the next day.

Though he no longer needed to breathe, he would sometimes force himself to, keeping some of his old training present, even now. The breath was important. It increased focus and vital essence. Neither was necessary for a vampire, but it did help to elevate his skills further.

He brings the tanto down, slicing cleanly through a stalk of bamboo, his chokuto whirling through the air to cut a stalk opposite the first. Not too slow, not to fast, simply perfect timing that made it look and feel effortless. And as he bends them back in towards his body, surrounding himself with the two blades, his ears twitch at the sound of nearly silent footsteps. Not that anyone but Indra could be as silent as he was. “Out exploring the gardens?”

"Not exactly." Itachi cautiously strides over to Sasuke. "I feel bad about how we left things." After all, the man was a ninja. Sneaking up on him could end very, very badly. "I don't want there to be distance between us."

“Distance?” Sasuke eyes the young vampire carefully, pulling his swords back, before flattening them along his arms and sliding them back into their respective sheaths. Itachi was a fledgling, so maybe he wanted more attention than Sasuke had been giving him? Was he used to getting more attention from Kakashi? “I’m sorry if you feel that I’ve neglected you.”

"You haven't neglected me." Itachi shakes his head. "Though it's obvious you feel guilty and awkward around me and...the feeling has been mutual." He didn't like that fact. "I was being childish. You were only acting as any other vampire would have in your situation."

“Which situation?” Sasuke was usually in a couple of them at a time, at least. Though Sasuke simply called them states of being, rather than situations.

He was actually going to make him say it. "With the snow demon." Itachi glances at him. "Almost any vampire who was attracted to men would have taken what he was offering."

Ah, so that was it. “It didn’t mean anything, I’ve told you that.” All it had been was a way to relieve some stress, and Sasuke had taken the opportunity. “I’ll likely never see him again.”

"I know that." Which was what made his own reaction so irritating. "That's why my jealousy was unfounded and you never made me any promises anyway." Well other than about physical safety. "Maybe it's our blood ties. Maybe...I just misinterpreted over-protectiveness for something else."

Sasuke sighs, turning away from Itachi. “…Something else?” Well, it wasn’t much of a secret what that meant. “What were you hoping for from me?” Probably some romantic notion that Kakashi had put into his childe’s head.

"I was hoping for a familial connection and maybe that desire combined with a physical attraction resulted in the jealousy." Itachi sighs as he looks at Sasuke with something akin to guilt. "And that wasn't fair to you. You didn't do anything wrong."

Wonderful, he was making his descendant not only jealous, but guilty about feeling jealous. “Neither did you…emotions are not always easy to control.” But this was getting them nowhere, and Itachi had mentioned that he wanted a connection. Maybe…getting a little closer wouldn’t hurt. “Do you know how to use a sword?”

"The basics." Kakashi had showed him. "There isn't much call for sword use these days, but I can swing one without cutting my own arm off." So that was something.

“That’s a start, I suppose.” Sasuke unbuckles the sheath from his belt, having traded in the traditional cloth obi for leather long ago. “Try this.” He hands the sheathed tanto to Itachi, confident that, if nothing else, Itachi would heal quickly if he accidentally injured himself. “That is a tanto, a type of short-sword.”

He takes the sword. "Thank you." Itachi looks over the blade curiously. It was nothing like the ones Kakashi had showed him.

Noting the look on Itachi’s face, Sasuke smiles slightly. “You’re likely more used to seeing a katana and wakizashi. It’s what the samurai carried in Kakashi’s era.” And though Sasuke had several ninjato lying around, he did prefer his longer, straight-edged chokuto, paired with the much shorter tanto. “But a ninja’s weapons are less showy, they’re meant to be concealed.”

He didn't seem to have an issue showing off his other weapon, though, but Itachi digressed. "Alright then." He waves it around experimentally.

Sasuke grimaces at the sight of Itachi waving it around like some sort of drunk samurai. It was…horrifying, really. “Well, there’s no doubt as to who your teacher was.” Sasuke draws his chokuto, catching the edge of the tanto and circling it with the chokuto, flicking the two blades in circles to loosen Itachi’s grip, before flicking his wrist up, and then down, sending the sword thumping to the ground. “Focus less on the movements of the shoulder and elbow, and more on those of the wrist.”

"The wrist." He echoes Sasuke to show that he was listening. "How about this?" He tries it Sasuke's way, wondering if his form was really as bad as Sasuke's wet cat face seemed to indicate or if Sasuke was just a perfectionist.

“Better.” Sasuke nods, approving of the change in form. “You learn quickly.” Even if this was just a very basic form that most ninjas had learned at the age of eight, it was good to see that Itachi could pick up corrections so quickly.

“Samurai have always had a habit of going for grand, drawn out gestures and flashy sword fights. Ninja, or shinobi, go for the single quick strike that will end the battle in an instant. Precision is everything.” Well, unless one was drawn into a battle where there was no chance of ending things so quickly. But Sasuke would save that lesson for another day. “Every cut and thrust is sharp, swift, and strikes deeply into your opponent.”

That was probably Sasuke's approach to sex as well, Itachi muses. "Good to know." Hopefully, he wasn’t actually blushing because of his thoughts. That would just be humiliating. "Strike first, make declarations later."

“And only to your master.” Sasuke sinks down into a longer stance, holding his sword up against his arm in a reverse grip. “The only thing that a ninja should declare is the success of a mission.” He slashes forward, cutting in a swift, clean arc through three stalks of bamboo. The sword was spelled, of course, otherwise taking the punishing practice of a vampire would have been impossible.

"Do you miss it?" Being a ninja or was it just a habit to Sasuke at this point? "Your birth era, I mean." It was probably better to ask in a vague fashion.

“…Yes.” Though the reasons for that were quite vast. Did he miss having his family? Did he miss serving under the shoguns, having a purpose in his life? Did he miss the feeling of having no guilt weighing on him? Did he miss…having people who loved him? …but it was all moot point, anyway. Sasuke had been dealt a bad hand, and now he had to live with that. “But I try not to dwell on it.”

"Alright." He smiles at him trying to ease the tension. "Well if nothing else, you definitely learned how to handle a sword well. So that's something."

“I had to.” Sasuke was born into a ninja clan during a time of great conflict. “I fought in my first war when I was thirteen, recruited from the ranks of the clan for my skill. It was an honor to be chosen to serve under a great general.” So, he grew up quickly, like every other child born into their way of life.

Things were different back then. Itachi knew that. "Well I'm glad you excelled or I would be in a nursing home or dead by this point." It was still disturbing to hear of child soldiers, though. "Kakashi was the one who turned me and you turned him..."

“Yes, I suppose so.” That, or Itachi might never have been born in the first place, since the clan had been essentially exterminated. “I found him on a battlefield, the only one still alive.” And Sasuke had been taken in by Kakashi’s spirit.

"That seems...to be something of a pattern in our vampire family." Itachi didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that. "What happened?"

“Well…” Sasuke lowers his sword, his eyes sliding shut.

* * *

_Blood. Death. It was rampant in this area. Perfect for a vampire to drink their fill. And the shogun’s most trusted assassin walked the land, having drunk the blood of each victim he put down. His red eyes glowed as he surveyed the battlefield, seeing nothing but corpses laid out before him. It was the samurai clans, contesting for power. And today, it was those of the Aizu Domain who were protecting their land from invaders._

_Thump._

_Sasuke’s eyes trailed across the battlefield, his ears having picked up a single sound._

_Thump._

_A heartbeat. That was unmistakably a heartbeat._

_Kakashi knew that he was dying. The wound had been a fatal one. Unfortunately, he didn't even have the strength to end his own misery and die the honorable way. No. He was resigned to a slow death._

_A samurai, one of Aizu, by the looks of it. A domain loyal to the shogun. Not young, not old, not by human standards at least. It intrigued Sasuke, and reflected a similar occurrence over two hundred years ago. The man with the silver hair was dying slowly, just as he himself had been. So, he approached the fading man. “…Samurai, what is your name?”_

_"K-Kakashi." Strange, was he being claimed by some sort of spirit? Was the spirit carting him off into the afterlife? "Hatake." That must be what was going on. Every word, he spoke felt as though it was going to make his chest burst and spill out the rest of what little remained of his lifeblood._

_Sasuke knelt, eyes glowing behind his mask. “I am one who serves the Shogun, Kakashi Hatake. And if you would bind yourself to me, I have the means to save you.” He pulls the edge of his blade across his arm, spilling his own blood and offering it to the human. “You would be immortal, and undying. But you could continue to fight for your cause. Whatever that may be.”_

_He wanted to ask why the being was offering this and what he would want in return, but he was too weak to do so. "If I take it, I live?" It seemed that he had a choice to become whatever this man was or to die._

_“Yes. You will be stronger, faster, more powerful than ever before.” Sasuke reached up for his mask, pulling it from his face. “If that is what you want, then drink.” He held the blood less than an inch from Kakashi’s mouth, giving him the choice of whether or not to take it._

_Kakashi drank. That sounded far superior to the slow death that would have awaited him otherwise._

_Long moments had passed between the samurai and the immortal ninja, but when Sasuke had deemed that Kakashi had drunk sufficiently, he drew his arm away, before lifting Kakashi’s head into his lap. “Be calm, it will be over in an instant. And when you wake, you will be a vampire.”_

_At that point, Kakashi had been too weak too protest. He had used all his strength to speak and drink. He could only calmly wait for whatever fate was about to befall him and wonder if any of this was real._

_Sasuke’s fingers had been gentle, but firm, taking Kakashi’s head in his hands, before flicking his wrists and snapping the human’s neck. It was over, and the human would rise again as a vampire._

* * *

Sasuke’s eyes open slowly, the images slowly fading as the memory falls back into the recesses of his mind. “And that…is how I came to Sire myself a childe.”

"Well I'm glad you saved him." Itachi smiles. "It seems our family is fond of taking in strays."

“Yes, it seems so.” It was not a story that Sasuke told often, or at all, really, but Itachi deserved to know. But that begged a new question. “Are you a stray as well?”

"Not exactly." He shakes his head and smiles. "I'm not sure if you really want to hear the details of my own turning, but the gist is similar. I was dying and Kakashi saved me."

Sasuke’s eyes narrow at the revelation. “Who did it?”

It didn't really matter. She was dead. "I believe her name was Kitasha." He pauses and adds. "I didn't catch the name of her friends before Kakashi decapitated them though."

“Kitasha?” Sasuke’s gaze sharpens, focusing solely on Itachi. “You’re sure?”

"Yes, he killed her though." So it really didn't matter to Itachi all that much. "Well that's what he told me when I asked later on anyway."

“Good.” Sasuke’s grip on his sword tightens. “But keep on your guard anyway, there’s no telling when the next attack will come.”

Itachi nods as he comes at Sasuke. "You're absolutely right." There was no telling when the next attack would come. Like now.

Sasuke catches the strike in an instant, turning it aside with a flick of his sword. “You’re fast, good.” Very few vampires were as fast as Itachi was, even if they were twice his age. But he still had a long way to go before he was faster than Sasuke.

"Apparently, not good enough, though." He probably should have expected that Sasuke would block him.

“You’ll learn.” Sasuke makes a single thrust, the edge of his sword just grazing Itachi’s cheekbone. “But dedication and discipline are two of the more important teachers.”

"Alright." He smiles at Sasuke, not flinching at the feeling of the blade against his cheek.

Sasuke can’t help but smile back. “I’ll protect you…and I’ll teach you.” And maybe he could protect Itachi from suffering the same fate as his family.

He embraces him, mindful of the swords. "I'd like that." And well, Kakashi had said that he should taste his blood. So he was going to go for an ear nip.

“Good.” Sasuke’s smile softens as he lowers his sword and wraps his free arm around Itachi. “I have a lot to teach yo-U!” He blinks, feeling a slight pinch to his ear. Then, he smells the scent of his own blood. “Itachi?” Was the fledgling hungry?

He'd never had blood like this before. It was only a drop or two, but he knew that it was even better than Kakashi's. Maybe, it was because of his age though. "Sorry. Instinct." He'd ask Kakashi about it later.

Sasuke draws away, looking Itachi up and down worriedly, and then noting the look in the young vampire’s crimson eyes. “You’re thirsty.” There was a clear desire for blood in Itachi’s eyes. HIS blood.

"I didn't drink at the club last night. I should probably just go get something." He smiles at Sasuke reassuringly. "Don't worry."

“Alright.” Sasuke steps back, sheathing his blade. “There’s bloodwine in the cellar, ask Chouji to recommend something. And if you want to learn how to wield a sword properly, come back out here at sunset.”

"Alright. I’ll see you at sunset." With that, he walks off to get some bloodwine.


	9. Chapter 9

Two calls in two days? Kakashi wasn’t sure whether to be flattered, or worried. If nothing else, it felt like things were moseying along well enough. Either something good had happened, something for him to encourage, or Sasuke had done…something to drive Itachi away. He really hoped it wasn’t the latter.

“Hello Itachi.” Kakashi smiles hopefully into the phone. “Are you still enjoying Japan?”

"I'm not sure if enjoy is the right word when I’m worried about my ancestor, but I tried his blood." Kinda. "I nipped his ear after he gave me a sword lesson."

Kakashi blinks. “He’s giving you sword lessons already?” Normally, he would have made a dirty joke about it, but this was Sasuke they were talking about, and sword lessons were…a very intimate affair with someone like him. “…Has he invited you for another?”

"He says that if I want, I can have another lesson at sundown." That really wasn't the point though. "Which was kind of him and I'll take him up on the lesson, but that's really not my concern at the moment."

Oh, so Sasuke was inviting Itachi to a repeat, that was good. “And what is your concern, exactly?” Kakashi was sure that it wasn’t something earth-shatteringly bad, otherwise Itachi wouldn’t have mentioned the lesson at sundown.

"Well I nipped him." Fuck! The other vampire had tasted good. "It was only a drop or two at most. His blood tasted even better than yours." Itachi pauses for a moment. "No offense. I assume it has something to do with him being an ancient vampire."

Wait, what? Kakashi goes quiet for a few long moments. “The age of a vampire usually has an impact on the power and potency of the blood, rather than the taste.” He couldn’t imagine Orochimaru’s blood tasting very good, and the vampire was older than him and Sasuke combined. “There are some people whose blood just tastes very good, and Sasuke is certainly one of them, but…what did it taste like to you?”

"Oh I see." Itachi tilts his head as he considers that. "Maybe, it's because we're related then." That might be why. "Melted dark chocolate and luxury sake." The kind that ran top dollar because it was made in the traditional way.

Kakashi’s eyebrow rises. “Well, that’s certainly an apt description.” It was the kind of description that you would expect to be made about the blood of royalty. Which, incidentally, didn’t actually taste all that great. “…How did it feel to drink it?”

"Yeah. I thought so." How did it feel to drink it? "It tasted really good, but like I said it was only a drop or two. I didn't really have time to analyze it."

Hm…drat. Kakashi was going to have to try throwing the ball a bit harder. “Would you want to drink it again, if given the choice? And you do prefer it to mine?” He wasn’t offended by Itachi saying so. In fact…he would be downright ecstatic if Itachi truly did feel that way. Because this was slowly starting to show the signs he’d been hoping to see, just not this quickly, and not necessarily from Itachi. But, whatever worked. And if it helped to save his Sire in the process, all the better.

He'd be an idiot not to want to drink it again. "Of course, I'd like to drink it again. That's damn fine sake!" Oh wait. Itachi was getting distracted here. "And your blood is exceptional Kakashi, but I’m afraid to tell you that I do prefer him. Again, I believe it may have something to do with his age or just the familial bond."

Maybe…well, all there was for it was for Kakashi to try and push it, subtly, but push it all the same. “When I was a young vampire, Sasuke often had me feed on him instead of on humans, to make sure that I could control myself with them. He continued to allow me to feed if I felt the need for blood, just like I did with you.” It was just one of those things that tied their Sire-Childe bonds together. At least in their line of vampires.

Though, Kakashi felt that a warning was necessary. “So, while he is not averse to being fed on by people he cares for, and I would encourage you to try and get a better taste, be careful with him. In his state, he’s more fragile than usual, though if he does end up lacking in blood, it would be easier to get him to drink some. He may be stubborn, but he’s not unreasonable.” And if Itachi could get Sasuke to start drinking blood more regularly…well, that could only be a good thing.

"Well I could try." Though Itachi wasn't entirely sure that would work. "He's very stubborn though and could probably tell, what I was doing." Sasuke was also a highly intelligent vampire. He might figure it out.

“And you are far more charming than you give yourself credit for.” Kakashi was confident in his childe’s ability to win an argument if he really put his all into it. “I’m sure that you’ll figure something out.”

Itachi sighs and nods. "Yes, I suppose I have to." For Sasuke's sake.

“Good.” Because from what Kakashi could see, Itachi might be the only one who could.

* * *

 

Finally. The elusive Uchiha had finally resurfaced. And this time, it was with that baby descendant of his. Orochimaru could…taste the exquisite blood already. Practically nobility among the shadows of Japan, the Uchiha were an unfortunately rare breed, one that he would very much like to…collect.

Thankfully, with Indra currently unable to be found, the ancient vampire was likely in no position to stop him, at least not quickly. And that would give Orochimaru more than enough time to put the next step of his plans into action. With the both of them vampires now, though unfortunately not sired by him, he would never have to worry about being…gentle.

Of course, he had rectified those situations long ago. Not personally, but…that’s what minions were for. And he had always made sure to have a small coven of them, a dozen or two under his command at any given time. Sometimes many more, if there was a battle to be had. They were useful and easily influenced. And easily disposed of if they grew too old, too powerful, and too headstrong to be controlled anymore.

The Uchiha boys would be, Orochimaru was certain of that. But…given time, taking one would bring the other to heel, he was sure of it. Sasuke had always been the sentimental type, even if he didn’t care to show it. And that…Orochimaru could take advantage of that. “Anko.”

"Yes, Orochimaru?" The man had sired her and she had once idolized him, but now she feared him more than anything else. "What is it that you desire?" For to attract his attention in any way, usually didn't end well.

Desire…yes. “There is a place not far from Kyoto, where an old acquaintance of mine lives.” Orochimaru certainly did desire the beautiful young vampires, both turned when they were at their most radiant. “I would like for you to pay him a visit.”

That didn't sound good. "Yes, My Lord and what is the nature of this visit?" Anko was afraid she had a good idea what the nature was though and well God help the poor son of a bitch.

“He…has a fledgling vampire staying with him that I desire. One who holds a great deal of promise. He’s from Indra’s line.” It was almost a guarantee that when Itachi grew older, he would become extremely powerful. And Orochimaru did like being able to control powerful individuals.

"I see and what do you wish me to do with this fledgling?" If he wanted her to acquire him, Indra would likely take revenge. "Indra has disappeared for the time being, but My Lord this could be risky if something were to happen to this fledgling."

“I doubt that Indra has ever met the child, and he withdrew himself from the world long ago.” Even Orochimaru didn’t know where the ancient vampire had ended up. “But all I wish is for the boy to be…persuaded to come here for a visit.” Once that was done, Orochimaru could easily take care of the rest. “His name is Itachi, and he is staying with a relative of his. But you needn’t worry about the older vampire, he starves himself of blood. His power is not what it once was.”

The vampire was probably on his way to the afterlife in that case. "Very well and if gentle tactics don't work?" Anko looks at Orochimaru with concern.

“He’s younger than you are, coddled by his Sire, and from what I have been able to see, he is something of a pacifist, and has never actually produced a body.” Rare, for a vampire, but not entirely unheard of. Orochimaru would be sure to rectify that, of course. “I’m sure that he would pose no threat to you. I would, however, suggest that you avoid the other vampire, his Grand-Sire, now that one…he has left a trail of bodies behind that makes even someone like me look peaceful. Even if he is being foolish by denying himself blood.”

"Of course." Anko swiftly takes off, not at all looking forward to this mission. Though she knew it was her life or theirs. "And I'll always choose mine."

* * *

 

Itachi goes to meet Sasuke for his sundown training. This would likely prove one way or another to be quite illuminating.

“Good, you’re here.” Sasuke was still dressed entirely in black, though, similar to the attire he’d worn to the club. Formfitting, but easy to remove if he felt too warm. That wasn’t usually a concern as a vampire, but sometimes, a training session could get rather strenuous. “Follow me.” Yes, he trusted his friends in the house, but the things that he was going to show Itachi were just…not for anyone else’s eyes.

"Alright." Itachi follows his ancestor. It was disturbing to see a man who was over four hundred years older...who had such a charming backside. "What did you have in mind?" Vampire or not and the fact that he was Itachi's ancestor just made it even more surreal.

“I am going to train you the way that I was trained.” To Sasuke it was a rather simple thing. “The humans may not know that you are an Uchiha, but that doesn’t change the facts. So, it would be wrong to keep this part of your heritage from you.” And to that end, Sasuke turns from the main courtyard, heading off in the direction of the trees that surrounded the estate.

He looks around, suddenly on guard. "I'm not sure if I should be excited, terrified or both." Itachi chuckles at the thought.

“Don’t worry, it’s not as though I’ve stocked the forest with lions, tigers, or bears.” Though Sasuke had certainly thought about it, to keep strangers away from the estate. But honestly, he really didn’t want to deal with the legal issues that the humans would raise if someone did something stupid like try to trespass.

"I would hope not." Itachi smiles at the thought. "They're beautiful creatures, but most of them are endangered."

“…” That was a good point, and not one that Sasuke had considered. “In that case, maybe I should. They’d be safer here.” He looks towards the rolling hills and the waves of trees before them. “Right, I told you that there was a dragon that lived out here. Would you like to meet him?”

Sasuke had certainly gone senile. "Sure. I'd love to meet your dragon." Dragons didn't actually exist.

“Alright.” Sasuke smirks at the expression on Itachi’s face. The poor baby vamp was about to get the shock of a lifetime. “AODA!”

Aoda immediately comes flying out, cirling overhead, before landing powerfully before the two vampires. He was glorious. Easily the size of a two or three story building with his massive wings and shimmering purple scales. Itachi blinks at the sight, takes a panicked step back, and lands flat on his ass.

“Still think I’m crazy?” Sasuke chuckles as the serpentine dragon curls its tail around him. “Hello Aoda.” He runs a hand along the dragon’s scales, rubbing and scratching here and there. “I brought you a new friend. This is Itachi.”

"You were serious about the dragon?!" All Itachi could do was gape.

“Of course I was.” Sasuke looks fondly up at the dragon. “I found him long ago when he was just a hatchling.”

“Yes.” Aoda leans his head down, big eyes blinking at the young vampire before him. “Is this your hatchling? He looks like you. Very nice scales.”

"Thank you." The snake had just complimented him on his skin. Well, at least that's what Itachi thought. "Though...not exactly."

Sasuke shakes his head. “He’s my sister’s grand-hatchling.” Well, as close as he could figure without saying a boatload of greats. “Be gentle with him, he’s never seen a dragon before.”

“Oh, I see…” Aoda lowers his head to rest it on the ground, though his head alone was still taller than Itachi. “Hello hatchling, I am Aoda, protector of all that belongs to Master Sasuke.”

It was a dragon version of Jugo. "Pleasure to meet you, Aoda." He cautiously pats the massive creature's head. "I'm Itachi."

As Aoda growls happily, Sasuke smirks, shrinking a little into Aoda’s tail. He knew what was coming in three…two…one… A giant tongue shoots out of Aoda’s mouth, swiping straight up Itachi’s body, leaving a trail of dragon drool down Itachi’s front.

"Hey!" He was covered in dragon saliva? "...You were serious about the golden retriever thing." Aoda really was a dog in a dragon's body.

“Yep.” Despite himself, Sasuke can’t hold back his peals of laughter at the sight of his descendant covered in dragon spit. “Come on, there’s a creek that you can wash off in before we start training.” He extricates himself from Aoda’s tail, landing lightly on the ground. “It’s not far from here. Aoda will keep watch.”

Yeah. That would be good. "I feel as though I should be honored." Mostly though, Itachi was more than a little grossed out as he went to wash off.

Aoda follows closely behind as Sasuke leads the way to the creek, before making himself scarce to respect his descendant’s privacy. Aoda, on the other hand, keeps a careful eye on the young vampire as Itachi approaches the water. “Master Sasuke laughed for you.”

"I believe he was laughing more at me than for me." Itachi chuckles. "But yes, I suppose that's accurate enough." He slides into the water, trying to clean himself off.

Aoda ‘tries’ to be helpful by scooping up some water with his wing and pouring it slowly over Itachi like a shower. “The name Taka suits Master Sasuke, doesn’t it? He sounds much like a bird when he laughs.” It was a nice sound, but one heard rarely.

He tilts his head back to enjoy this strange dragon version of a shower. "Yes, it's a nice laugh." Though Itachi wasn't entirely sure what Aoda was playing at.

“It would be nice…” He uses his other wing to scoop up even more water. “To hear it more often.” The dragon hadn’t seen a smile like that on Sasuke’s face in a long time. “Will you be staying for a long visit, or a short one?”

"Yeah." Itachi nods at that. "It would. And I’m not entirely sure how long I'm staying." Sasuke seemed to be doing better today, but Itachi didn't have the heart to leave him.

“Oh.” Aoda tips the second wingful of water over Itachi, washing away most of the remaining slime. “I hope that you decide to remain here a while longer. Master Sasuke seems to enjoy your company.”

As much as Sasuke enjoyed anything, Itachi supposed. "I think he's just happy to be able to pass on family traditions." And who could blame him?

Aoda tilts his head, letting the last of the water fall away. “I am not a family tradition.” At least, he didn’t think so. “You may be right, but it is good to see him happy again.” He waves his head back and forth, looking through the trees towards the training ground. “He seems very lively now.”

"Well no. You aren't." Damn. He'd probably offended the dragon. "It's obvious that he thinks very highly of you, Aoda. It's just...well, being able to show another relative your fighting technique and your home is...symbolic."

“Yes, as is showing them a secret known only to a few.” Aoda taps Itachi gently on the brow with his snout, trying to clear the young one’s confusion. “Only Master Sasuke and his childe have seen me. You are the third person to have ever set eyes on me. You are…special.”

He blinks at that. Itachi hadn't been aware that Aoda was such a selective privilege. "Well then I’m deeply honored." He licks his fangs a bit nervously. Could Sasuke actually have feelings for him after all?

Aoda waves his giant head up and down. “Come, hatchling, Master Sasuke is waiting for you.” He begins weaving his way through the trees, slowly enough for Itachi to comfortably follow, but faster than any human could walk.

His life had taken a very bizarre turn, Itachi thinks to himself as he follows the dragon. "I'm coming!" And with that, he dashes off after Aoda.

* * *

 

Sasuke sat in the clearing, absolutely still, and even more silent. Had it not been for the fact that he was completely visible, it would have been easy to miss him. It was at odds with his restless nature, but a necessary part of training, and good for maintaining discipline. Meditation, a tool for all great warriors.

Unperturbed, even when the sounds of a slithering dragon, and jogging vampire made their way through the woods towards him. It had taken longer than Sasuke expected, but he had learned many lessons in patience over the centuries.

It was like a vision from out of a dream, Itachi muses as he takes in Sasuke's appearance. He seemed to have simply become one with his surroundings. Truly, it was a thing of beauty.

Sasuke’s eyes open slowly, finding Itachi. “Sit.” Now was the time for learning, no matter how mundane it might seem at first.

Itachi sits next to Sasuke. "Alright?" He didn't say it but the word 'and' hung heavily in the air.

Sasuke watches Itachi for a moment, then sighs and shakes his head. “It seems that Kakashi neglected the basics with you.” Not that he expected Kakashi to take the lessons of an entirely different style completely to heart. “Just…sit. Listen. Observe your surroundings without observing them. Focus without focusing. Let your mind breathe…”

"My apologies, but that made absolutely no sense." Focus without focusing? Observe, but not observe?

So, this was the frustration that his father had gone through in training him as a child. “Meditation. You learn to know your surroundings, to take advantage of them unconsciously. It is the first lesson that an Uchiha learns when they are taught to become a ninja.” He smirks at Itachi. “But I wasn’t very good at it in the beginning either. I was always told that I was too restless.”

"Yes, I can see why that might be a concern for you." Itachi chuckles and shakes his head. "Alright. I'll try." Though he didn't expect much to come of it. "It just seems...very strange."

“I know.” But it was something that came with time, practice, and sometimes a natural disposition towards it. “Just…clear your mind, and make a void inside of yourself for the sensations of the world to flow into. For that, you need inner peace, and to be QUIET.” Sasuke shoots Itachi an annoyed look.

Itachi had the decency to look sheepish at that last part. He nods and silently tries to concentrate.

Sasuke nods in approval, before closing his own eyes again, returning to the still, receptive state in which he had been when Itachi first entered the secret training grounds. He found, when he was a child, that it was easier to mimic your teacher, than to follow verbal instructions. Perhaps he was not the only one with a restless nature.

The younger vampire watches him. He felt anything but meditative around Sasuke. If anything being near him only made him more sensitive to his surroundings, not more relaxed. Kakashi's plan just kept coming back to him as did the taste of Sasuke's blood and his kiss, however brief both instances had been they were now both intertwined and firmly branded into his mind.

It was amusing, but irritating at the same time to hear the gears turning in Itachi’s head. “If it helps, breathe.” Sasuke no longer felt the need to breathe in order to meditate, but then again, he’d learned this while he was still human. “Count the timing of your breaths until you achieve a state of mental quiet.” Because obviously, whatever was going on in Itachi’s head was far from quiet.

"Alright." Feeling guilty at having disappointed the other man, Itachi does as instructed. Slowly, but surely he feels his mind begin to settle.

At feeling the slow calming of Itachi’s mind, and the near stillness of his body, Sasuke smiles. “Good.” It was a bit of a rocky first attempt, but then again, most first attempts were like that. “Feel the energy around you and let it fill you up.” There was a becoming one with nature that had to be mastered first, something that could benefit even vampires.

It was hard to focus on anything other than Sasuke's voice, but Itachi eventually manages it. There was just such a silken quality to it that it made almost anything seem elegant really. Though, maybe that was just the blood talking.

Smirking, Sasuke rises silently to his feet, stepping through the grass like a ghost. “Alright, now tell me what you hear.” There was an entire forest around them, and a plethora of sounds to choose from.

"Birds, insects...probably bees, water running, Aoda slithering, Karin fucking Suigetsu, and...you." He pauses at that last part. "You're stepping through the grass."

“Well, one of those I didn’t need to hear.” Sasuke walks in a half circle to stop behind Itachi. “But yes, you’re starting to get the point.” It was the first few steps, but ones he’d learned long ago. “What else? What can you smell? What can you taste? Your eyes are important, but they’re not everything. You can be easily blinded.”

"One of the things, I smell...you don't need to hear either." The scent of their 'lovemaking' was also lingering in the air. "I smell freshly cut grass, fallen rain, fish...though that might just be Suigetsu and...freshly baked cookies?" Probably Jugo. The giant seemed to like baking.

“Good.” That meant that Itachi had at least a range of a kilometer with most of his senses. He couldn’t pick up everything quite yet, like the smell of the soft earth beneath their feet, or of the bamboo leaves waving in the breeze, but at least he wasn’t blind in his other senses. “Now taste the air.” He bites his hand a little, drawing just a few drops of blood. “Tell me what you taste.”

"You cut yourself." He didn't need even a second to realize that. "I taste your blood."

“And?” That wasn’t nearly enough. “What do you taste?” Sasuke knew that he might be pushing a little, but no ninja ever became strong without being pushed. Sometimes hard. Sometimes off a cliff. Sometimes literally off a cliff. Fun times…

"There are other things, but melted dark chocolate and expensive sake are the most prominent." That was after all, what Sasuke tasted like to him.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at the description. Chocolate and sake, huh? “That…is what my blood tastes like to you?”

"Yes, that's what your blood tastes like to me." Itachi nods. "Why, is it not supposed to taste that way?" Had he offended him somehow?

“I just hadn’t heard the chocolate part before.” Sasuke had been told by Kakashi that his blood tasted like good rice wine, but the chocolate part was new. “It’s just…surprising.” Though maybe not. Dark chocolate had a habit of being on the bitter side.

"Oh, well it tastes that way to me." Itachi nods as he tries again. "Besides that, I taste the water in the air and the cookies." He was still positive that was Jugo's doing.

“Good,” Sasuke flicks his hand, flinging the tiny droplets of blood into the grass. “That’s a good start. You managed to sense about…five percent of what was going on around you.” Though maybe that was being generous. “Now, open your eyes, and try telling me what you think that exercise was really about.”

Itachi tilts his head and smiles. "I think it's your very unique way of family bonding." And that Sasuke liked fucking with his head.

Sasuke brings his palm to his face. “Amusing…really.” He sighs, shaking his head. “That was an exercise in awareness. It was to test you and see how aware you could be of your surroundings. Spying, tracking, stealth, all of these are elements and tools in a ninja’s arsenal, and they are among the basics from which the family style is drawn. They’re the lessons we’re taught before we ever even pick up a blade.”

He pulls out his chokuto, proceeding to draw a circle in the grass around Itachi. “Did you pay attention to the insects around you? The feel or smell of the ground beneath you? Did you feel the magnitude two tremor that happened three minutes and thirty-two seconds ago?”

"Yes, to all those things minus the scent of the ground directly beneath me." It was hard to tell if Sasuke was being smug, actually trying to help him in some way, or both. Probably both though. "And no offense to the insects, but I'd rather do this." Knock him off his high horse a bit. So that's exactly what Itachi tries to do. He tries to tackle Sasuke, after making sure the chokuto was out of his hand.

Not even putting up a fight, Sasuke raises an eyebrow as his back hits the grass. “And…you’re proving what, exactly?” That he could play around like a kid and tackle someone when he got frustrated? Or that he could tackle an old vampire when Sasuke let him?

"That you weren't aware enough of your environment!" This vampire could be rather infuriating at times.

Sasuke stares up at the fledgling, a smirk on his face. “You rushed at me at about twenty-three miles an hour, leaving me three eighths of a second to dodge, which was two eighths more than I needed.”

"Are you sure about that?" Itachi quirks an eyebrow.

“Yes.” Sasuke stares unblinkingly back at his descendant. “Just like now, if I wanted to, I could throw you a hundred meters into the trees with very little effort.”

He shakes his head at Sasuke. "You are quite possibly the cockiest being that I have ever met." Itachi looks down at him. "You're fortunate that you're cute and you taste good."

Sasuke’s smirk transforms into an annoyed glare. “You really want to call a four hundred year-old vampire cute?”

"Well yes, I believe that I just did." Sasuke would just have to deal with the very accurate label. "What is my disturbingly well preserved ancestor going to do about such a state of affairs?"

“Hn.” Sasuke snorts with amusement, before whirling them over faster than a blink of the eye, pinning Itachi on his stomach, arms behind his back. He leans down to whisper in the young vampire’s ear. “Now THAT was cute. But you’re still a fledgling, so try to remember that the next time you think you took the upper hand.”

Some grumbling occurs as Itachi tries to buck his ancestor off him. "You're resting on your laurels quite a bit." It was going to get him in trouble one of these days. "You may be four hundred, but you don't take care of yourself as well as you should." Someone was going to take advantage of it one day.

Sasuke’s grip slackens, and he presses one hand to the ground, lifting his feet into the air and over his head, landing in the grass a few feet away from Itachi. “Yes, but it still wouldn’t be wise to underestimate me. I’m plenty strong, even without guzzling blood. And most vampires aren’t trained the way I am to begin with.” And then there was his intelligence, which he knew was nothing to sneeze at.

"I understand your reasons." Itachi shakes his head and sighs. "And I suppose you're too old to really change your ways at this point, but I really wish you wouldn't...well that you would see to more than just your bare minimum requirements of survival."

Taking the revelation unblinkingly, Sasuke glances back at Itachi. “Kakashi told you?” It would figure that the nosy pervert would have a hand in THAT little piece of information being spread around.

He couldn't lie to Sasuke. "He told me, but I would have realized you weren't drinking regularly sooner or later." And he would have asked about it. That implication hung heavily in the air.

Of course Itachi would have asked. “If you asked Kakashi, then you would know that I haven’t always been like this.” No, there had been a time when Sasuke gorged himself on blood until he could drink no more. This was…as close to going cold turkey as a vampire could get without killing themselves.

"I know that." Itachi nods and pauses. "I know that every vampire has a history and it's not always pleasant. I'm more concerned about your present and future though."

The future that ended a long time ago. “I know that you mean well, Itachi, but the fact is that all I have left is to make sure that you and Kakashi are happy and safe, and to finish restoring the clan library. This is my sentence. My punishment for all of my failures.” Most prominently, not being able to save his clan that night. Because yes, he did blame himself for it. If he’d been a little faster, a little stronger… But there was no point. There was no turning back the hands of time.

And with resignation written all over his face, Sasuke finds deep worry for him in familiar dark eyes. “Once that’s accomplished…I don’t care what happens to me.”

"Well maybe you don't care what happens to you, but we DO!" Itachi hated the fact that he was half screaming at Sasuke, but he couldn't help it. "You didn't fail and you don't deserve a punishment. You're not a god, Sasuke! Those were just dangerous times." He didn't have to punish himself like this. "No one could have stopped what happened and if you truly want to keep Kakashi and me safe, did it occur to you that half starving yourself means you're weakening yourself!? Which makes it harder for you to do that!"

“…” Sasuke didn’t need Itachi to tell him that, he’s already heard much the same thing from Kakashi a long time ago. “You’re still young, Itachi. You don’t know the kinds of things I’ve seen, the kinds of things I’ve done. If you were a lawyer today, you’d try to lock me away for the next ten thousand years. I’m drenched in blood, and I’m sure that Kakashi has made sure that you’re still perfectly innocent. The last thing you need to do is worry about a vampire with a body count several miles long. I may be weaker than I could be, but I’m not helpless. I am still very…VERY dangerous. And that’s what I plan to make you.” Just without the body count.

"Well I’m not a lawyer!" Damn it. Sasuke was being so unreasonable. "I'm an engineer. We don't lock people up, we find a way to solve problems." And Sasuke had a problem. A big one. "I'm also apparently more of a masochist than I thought..."

“And why’s that?” Sasuke raises a quizzical eyebrow. “Because you want to ‘fix’ me?” He doubted that even Kakashi could do something like that.

"Because I've attached myself to someone who has already willingly shoved a foot in the coffin." Itachi sighs and looks at him. "I'm not your age. So I can't pretend to understand exactly what you're going through, but I know what it means to give up. To be waiting to die. I was doing that before Kakashi found me."

Sasuke’s expression softens a little, and he closes his eyes, remembering the pain and fear involved in his own turning, when he was convinced that he was going to die. “Some things…are too broken to be fixed. Or they’ve been broken so long that no one has the parts anymore.”

Itachi shakes his head. "I don't think that's the case with you. I think you're more stubborn than anything else." He pauses. "And arrogant, definitely arrogant, but you have a good heart."

Said heart almost…beats a little. Just a little flicker, a flutter, something…warm, soft… Something Sasuke hadn’t felt in…well, he didn’t know how long it had been, he didn’t really know what it was. Hope, maybe? A naive notion, but… “Well, if you think that you can fix a broken old vampire, you can go right ahead and try. But I bet…five years worth of acquiescing to whatever you like, that you won’t succeed.”

"I'd never be able to match you for material wealth." They both knew that. "If you wish to throw away some of your riches though, well I'll happily take them off your hands because it is a wager you would end up losing. Which would do you some good." Itachi nods. "It would teach you some humility."

Now that made Sasuke chuckle. “Well then, I look forward to your efforts.” And honestly…part of Sasuke wouldn’t mind losing that bet. “But I wouldn’t bet on your ability to teach me humility.”

"Well I acknowledge that it will be a difficult task." He sighs somberly. "Though I'm sure it won't be nearly as difficult as landing on the moon."

“Then good luck, because I’ve been compared to the moon before.” And Naruto to the sun. An odd comparison for a vampire, but then again, Naruto was an extremely odd vampire.

"I can see why." Itachi chuckles as he smiles at Sasuke, brushing a stray bang out of his eyes.

Sasuke’s eyes follow the movement, before snapping back to Itachi’s. “So, what precisely are you planning on landing this time?”

"Well I though that since the civilized approach hasn't really worked thus far, I could always fuck your brains out." Itachi smiles at him with a straight face.

Sasuke resists the urge to gape at the baby vampire. “You are either the most audacious baby vampire I’ve ever met, or you’re insane to think I’d bottom for you.” That…was not a position that Sasuke typically took unless he was training a baby vampire, meaning Kakashi, or really…really bored with topping.

He shakes his head. "It was...a joke, Sasuke." The other vampire had made it rather clear what he thought of Itachi in that department. "Though I’m rather disappointed that you're so monolithic in your lovemaking style. Four hundred years and you never bottomed?"

The elder vampire shoots the younger an irritated glare. “I didn’t say that. I’m flexible when I want to be. It’s just not often that I can find someone who can compete with me on my level.” He typically stuck to humans, and they were very…easily seduced.

"Yes, as you said it's going to be very difficult to teach you humility. "Itachi rolls his eyes.

Scoffing, Sasuke shakes his head. “Well, you can go ahead and try. But in the meantime, practice meditating here. We’ll have another lesson tomorrow.” He turns towards the house, looking back once over his shoulder. “Because teaching you stamina is apparently going to be very difficult.” Mental stamina, but if Itachi wanted to tease like that, Sasuke could play ball. “And it’s going to take…forever.”

"I have plenty of stamina!" Itachi huffs at him in outrage! "If anything you are the one who should be concerned about stamina. Can you even perform at your age?"

Sasuke twitches. “Well enough to have a snow demon screaming my name all night long.” Honestly, just what kind of training did Itachi think he’d had as a human?

Itachi flinches a bit at that. "Probably because he was afraid that he was going to melt. Snow demons, you know…a fragile lot!" What was he doing? He shouldn't have provoked Sasuke like that.

“What, are you disappointed that you weren’t the one screaming my name instead?” Sasuke smirks at the look on Itachi’s face. Jealousy, it was always so amusing to see in young ones.

"I think you've got your order mixed up." Itachi had had about enough of this. "It would have been the other way around." Though he was certainly going to leave with the upper hand at the very least, he thinks to himself as he turns to leave.

“Tch.” Sasuke glares at Itachi’s back. “Idiot.” Like he would ever be screaming Itachi’s name. Besides…he didn’t sleep with immortals.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celestia193's Author's Note: Alright, so in this chapter, we kind of...imply a ship. Take it as you will, we'll imply it again later.

Anko had done her research since Orochimaru gave her the assignment. If she was going to grab the Uchiha, her best way to do so would be to go through Kakashi. The middle of the family tree so to speak. Sasuke's childe and Itachi's Sire.

So here she was at a bar that she knew Kakashi favored from her research. "I'll have a glass of AB Negative." She smiles at the bartender as she waits. The dress was somewhat modest by her standards, but certainly getting attention. Small sleeves that bared all of her neck and her arms, which was considered by many vampires to be as erotic, if not more so than subtle hint of cleavage she was flashing in the slinky black dress that hugged all her curves, and only covered her to mid-thigh. After all, if one was going to catch a large fish...one had to use the proper bait.

It was still a little early, of course, for the older vampire to be arriving, but the bar that catered to supernaturals was already ablaze with life, lights, and more than a little alcohol. Or blood, as the bartender was pouring. “Warmed, chilled, or straight?”

"Just straight is fine." She smiles at him as she idly tapes her foot on the floor underneath her.

“Alright, here you are.” It was something of a courtesy offered to the vampires here, since some preferred their blood on ice, and others preferred it…at ninety-eight point six degrees. And generally, when dealing with vampires, it was best to just ask. They could get violent if they were given their blood wrong.

She nods and sips it as she looks around. "Thank you." Anko wasn't here for a drink, after all. She had a job to do. No matter how distasteful she might find it.

And it was precisely eight minutes later that a head of silver hair made itself known in the bar. An arbitrary time for a man who most certainly marched to the beat of his own drum. Before then proceeding to toss the drum down a flight of stairs. And as he found himself a table, his usual table, his first action was to wave over one of the serving staff, and…as anyone could have predicted, start flirting.

"Well at least it was reliable." Anko thinks to herself. He was a flirt. "OH NO! MY DRESS!" She wonders if the other information was reliable. It was a shame to get blood all over her new dress, but if he was anything like his records indicated...Kakashi would come to help.

She felt a little bit guilty about making the bartender out to be a klutz, but it was that or pretend to trip. She didn't really feel like making the other vampire think that she couldn't handle walking on her own...so she had gone with this option.

Reliable he was, with his hearing as sharp as a dog’s. “Are you alright, Miss?” He could tell that she was a vampire, even without the obvious smell of blood everywhere. He notes the overturned glass, and the blood drenching her dress. Well, at least it was a black dress, though it would take forever to get the stain and smell out.

"Oh yes, I'm fine." She sighs as she looks down at her dress. "Well at least it was black, I suppose." Yes, her information was definitely accurate.

“Because heavens forbid that a vampire wear white.” Kakashi smiles mischievously. The vampiress was likely only a few decades his junior, young, but not so young that she would have her Sire hanging about.

She laughs at that. "Yes, white wouldn't be very practical for our kind." Anko smiles at him slyly. "Besides, I was never the pure type I'm afraid."

Now there was a woman who knew what she wanted. “Well, I can’t say that I’ve ever been the type to deflower young ladies.” He did like his partners to be a bit more on the…experienced side. There was just more to do that way.

"Well I'm certain that will depress many a young maiden, but their loss might be my gain?" She smiles at him. "I'm Anko."

“Kakashi.” Well, this was a promising start to the evening, even if the woman had blood spilled all over her dress. “I can’t say that I’ve seen you here before.”

"You wouldn't have." That much was true. "It's actually my first time in Los Angeles." She smiles at him and places her hand on his thigh. "I'm here on business, but who knows…I might be able to mix in a little pleasure here and there."

“That so?” Kakashi chuckles. “So, should I expect an overprotective Sire to come out of the woodwork any time soon and try to take my head off?”

She shakes her head. "I doubt it. He knows that I’m a big girl now." Anko smiles slyly at him. "I can put on my own stilettos and everything. All by myself." She caresses his cheek. "Of course, I don't mind someone else helping me to take them off or showing them off if the right vampire comes along."

“The right vampire?” The thought almost made Kakashi laugh. “What about…the wrong vampire?” His hand rises to cup her chin, tilting her head a little to the side. “Would they get to see you work those stilettos?”

"Maybe, though he would have to be the right kind of wrong." She smirks at him. "I rarely go for women. They tend to be a bit on the catty side for my liking."

Ironic, but he’d take it. “Well, if you’d like to inspect to make sure I’m not…I think I could sit still for about…a minute.” Sue him, Kakashi’s patience was worse than Itachi’s.

"You are quite the confident one, if you want me to inspect you here." She nips his ear playfully. "I'm very thorough when I make such inspections."

“Is that so?” Intriguing… “Then I think I could find a more…appropriate place to conduct such a…thorough inspection. And, of course, what sort of gentleman would I be if I didn’t offer to return the favor?”

She smirks at that and nods. "Indeed. You wouldn't be much of a gentleman at all, I suspect." Well Orochimaru had said to bring Itachi to him, and Sasuke, if possible. But he'd never specified she couldn't have some fun along the way.

* * *

 

Fledglings. An absolute pain in the ass. Always so annoying and entitled, and fond of challenging their elders! They had no respect these days!

Sasuke was…in a word, fuming. Itachi just…had a way of getting under his skin, and it made him extremely uncomfortable. As if Sasuke would ever let a baby vamp… No, absolutely not. Sasuke still had his pride. And not to mention the fact that…immortals were off limits. If he got attached to one…it just wouldn’t be fair to either of them.

On the other hand, Sasuke finds himself shoving his face into his pillow, twitching as he tries to ignore just how worked up that damn baby vamp got him. The curse of being an eternal teenager…hormones that never went away. He was stuck. He would never grow out of it.

Fuck…

"I know that I’m risking getting my head bitten off for this, but I gotta ask." Suigetsu materializes in Sasuke's room and sits on his bed. "What's got you so pissed off? I could hear your flailing from my room."

Sasuke turns his head slightly, red glowing eyes peering out from behind dark hair. “What has me pissed off is that people seem to be forgetting that I’m a demon of a vampire with a body count in the thousands, that they should be running the hell away from, instead of trying to tease or ‘fix’ me.”

Ah. So that was it. "The baby vamp pissed you off, huh?" Suigetsu shakes his head. "Well, it's only natural that your Childe and Grandchilde wouldn't be scared of you." They were family. "Pretty sure I know what happened. Itachi has some kind of thing for you. I guess he likes the types that might bite his dick off?" That must be it. "You pulled your usual persona and knowing the fact that he's related to you, he's probably a proud asshole." Very proud. "So he tried to pull rank on someone that he couldn't pull rank on and now, you can't beat the hell out of him because he's kinda family and you wanna fuck him anyway."

…Sometimes, Sasuke really HATED Suigetsu. “I’m not going to fuck him.” And Sasuke did NOT like having people try to pull rank on him. The only one who could do that was…Indra. And he hadn’t seen the ancient vampire in decades. “And he’s not kind of family. Legally, his last name is Uchiha.” Whether Itachi used it or not.

"Alright. I didn't realize you were a romantic." Suigetsu shrugs. "Make love, whatever you call it." The whole family dynamic was weird. "My lover is half succubus. You know she's been going on and on about it for the past few days. This weird thing you two have." He didn't get the whole being able to eat sexual energy thing exactly, but whatever. He rolled with it because it meant he was one happy merman.

Of course she had. “Itachi is attracted to me.” Attracted enough to become jealous, at least. “And I can’t indulge in it, even if I wanted to.” He was a ticking time bomb, and if he got involved with someone…and it went somewhere, he’d end up breaking their heart. “So tell Karin to just suck it up and shut up.”

"I don't see why not." Suigetsu rolls his eyes. "I know you're intent on riding off into the sunset, but he already met you. Whether or not you become lovers…at a minimum, he's losing a family member."

“…Then there’s no reason to make things worse than they already are.” Sasuke sighs, eyes dulling a little. “He’ll have Kakashi…and whatever I can teach him.” Which was preferably as many of the clan’s traditions as possible. “He’ll…be fine without me.”

Suigetsu knew it was stupid, but he swats Sasuke anyway. "Well if you're so sure that he doesn't need you any more than he needs Kakashi, how about you prove it?" It was a gamble, but in the worst case scenario, Sasuke would get some extra blood in his system and it wasn't like he could get much more hopeless than he was now. "Unless you're scared of losing a bet with me."

Twitch. “I’m never scared of losing a bet with you. You just make stupid-ass bets that are utterly ridiculous, and completely pointless.”

"Then you've got nothing to worry about." Suigetsu smirks widely.

Ruby eyes glare at Suigetsu challengingly. “This had better not be stupid.” Though with the merman, that was usually a given. “What were you going to try and goad me into?”

He smiles at him slyly. "Biting Itachi or at least nipping him." Suigetsu chuckles. "Make up an excuse, if you have to. Say it's some crazy welcome to the family ritual, if you're skittish about it, or that you're hungry. Either way, he'd probably let you. See if he's your bloodmate and if he's not, well he'll get over you eventually riding off into the sunset. A decision that I still don't support by the way."

“There isn’t going to be a sunset involved, dumbass.” Honestly, what was Suigetsu thinking? There was no way, that after four centuries of…nothing, that Sasuke’s perfect mate was going to just drop into his lap. It was improbable, at the very least. “Besides, what makes you thin that Itachi could ever be…” No…it was impossible. And holding out hope would just be deceiving himself.

"It's a one in a billion, well over seven billion chance." Suigetsu smirks at him. "You're too scared to take those odds?"

Sasuke’s eyes flash angrily as he sits up. “Fine, if it’ll shut you and your banshee up!” There was nothing more annoying than when the merman and the succubus were in cahoots with each other. They had a habit of making Sasuke’s life rather difficult.

Suigetsu smiles. He'd won. "Good." He had so totally won. Sasuke just didn't know it yet!

* * *

 Annoying. Utterly and completely annoying. What the hell did Suigetsu think he was playing at, making a dumb bet like that? “Damn it…” Sasuke was so close to just turning the merman into sushi. It would serve the idiot right.

And you know what? If Suigetsu wanted to propose something so stupid, then Sasuke would do it on his own time. Fuck Suigetsu’s expectations, Sasuke wasn’t going to rush into anything. The last time he rushed into something…people died. He didn’t want Itachi to be next. Couldn’t…have that kind of blood on his hands.

They were far too filthy anyway.

Sighing, he wanders into the library, looking for something to take his mind off of unpleasant things. He had some newly recovered texts to go over. He could always brush up on his Heian Period Japanese and get back to work on translating those…

Little did Sasuke know it at the time, but Itachi was already in the library, more specifically, he was looking up historical firsthand accounts from some vampires who were even older than Sasuke. Surely, there had to be something he could do to tug him away from the edge.

Unfortunately, such accounts were few and far between, and most of them were on the older side, the vampires who wrote them…conspicuously absent. The further back you went, the less there was to find. What could be found was…scattered, fragmented, and written in old languages that had only been partially translated by a ninja’s steady and determined hand.

"He's already read this." If it was useful, Sasuke would have already made use of it. "Dead end." There had to be something he could do, though.

Halfway across the library, Sasuke sighs. “I’ve read almost everything in this library.” Sasuke’s ears had twitched at the sound of Itachi’s voice, not having sensed his presence at all. He wasn’t sure whether to be alarmed or impressed. “I’ve been working on translating what I can.” But it was a very difficult endeavor. “What are you looking for?”

Itachi almost jumps out of his skin when he realizes that he wasn't alone. "Whatever you haven't read then." It was depressing, but maybe there was something he could use. Something he could use to help Sasuke that his grand-sire had missed.

A strange request, but if Itachi really wanted to read obscure texts… “Indra left a journal around here somewhere. I hadn’t gotten around to translating it. There’s a few dictionaries lying around if you feel like helping.” It was a tome older than even Sasuke was. “He got it from the west a few decades before turning me. Just look for the thickest leather-bound book you can find.”

"Alright." Itachi nods, feeling a bit better about that prospect. "I'll get started then." After all, Indra was even older than Sasuke and he seemed sane enough. Maybe. "Out of curiosity, does Indra have a bloodmate?"

Sasuke pauses, before collecting his books and moving to one of the many worktables, one that gave him a better view of his descendant. “I don’t know. He’s never confirmed or denied it.” And eventually, Sasuke had stopped asking.

He would have said something, if he was Mated. "Oh I see." Indra was older than Sasuke and he had no mate. He wasn't thinking about ending it all. So his insight would prove invaluable! Well at least that's what Itachi hoped.

“He has a brother in Scotland, and was turned over fifteen hundred years ago.” Even to Sasuke, Indra was something of a mystery. “He’s the only person I know who has killed more people than I have. And he has a habit of disappearing with Asura every few decades.” Sasuke flips a page, pulling out a blank book, beginning his translation of the very first page of a text on Heian Period philosophy.

Two vampires running around together who were well over a thousand years old. "They must be close then." The mind certainly boggled at the possibilities.

“Depends on the century.” Sasuke’s hand moves quickly, splaying characters neatly across the page. “Asura’s descendants mostly live in Scotland, have for over a thousand years now. There’s a few hundred vampires from the Uzumaki clan living there.” Of course, there would be more, except that only some of the clan elected to be turned. There were two branches of the clan, and it was only once a decade or so that someone elected to join the immortal branch. The Senju branch of Asura’s descendants…had not elected to become immortal like their cousins. “You’ve met Naruto, haven’t you?”

"I've met him once or twice." Itachi pauses as the image of a rather bubbly blond comes to mind. "Kakashi is fond of him."

“Yes, I seem to remember those two getting into a lot of trouble together.” And it was more than a little annoying when Sasuke had to go and drag them home before they did something stupid. After all, Kakashi had been a very young vampire, and Naruto was overly energetic, and extremely persuasive. “Anyway, the Uzumaki are Asura’s descendants, just like the Uchiha were Indra’s.”

"So Naruto is my cousin in a way?" Interesting. "So you had family besides me." Even if it was more distant.

“…I suppose, if you go back fifteen centuries.” That was a little far removed, even for Sasuke. “I only met them for the first time when I was your age. And they’re…” how could he put this delicately. “They’re good people, but they’re not Uchiha. They left Japan a long time ago. Asura’s blood is the only reason they’re really related to us at all. They kept the name of one of Asura’s children, when he was still human, but they’ve thoroughly assimilated with the natives.” How else would you get a ‘Japanese’ clan of redheads?

"So they're definitely Scottish then." For some reason the idea of a bunch of red headed vampires was an amusing one to him. "Alright then."

Sasuke sighs, resting his head on his hand. “Anyway, the journal should be…” Where had he tossed that thing again? “Right, in the Moon Room. That’s downstairs.” It’s where he kept most of the materials regarding supernatural species. “You should be more comfortable in there.” He’d renovated and designed it himself just for vampires. It was dimly lit, with white lights, instead of ones that gave off a sun-like yellow glare. And it’s a place that Sasuke would sometimes retreat to…if he wanted to lose track of time.

"Alright." Itachi smiles at him. "Don't work yourself too hard." Which, knowing Sasuke, was a very real danger.

“Hn.” Sasuke’s hand goes back to work, eyes flashing from the book, to the dictionary, and then to the page he was copying the text to. There was still work to be done, no matter how tired he was.

He was the most stubborn vampire that Itachi had ever met. He was clearly going to have to check on Sasuke after awhile. If the man was still mortal, he probably would have worked himself to death long before now. "I'm the baby vamp?" Itachi rolls his eyes at the thought. "He's the one who doesn't know how to take care of himself." Well more like he didn't care to do so, Itachi mentally corrects himself as he steps into the Moon Room.

The theme of the moon room was just that, a starry sky decorating the ceiling overhead, with a large circular stand in the middle of the room, sitting over an even larger circle of white on the floor. On it, a similarly circular mattress, covered in black silken sheets and a plethora of pillows. Around it lay stacks of books and scrolls, and a desk pushed up against one wall, shelves scattered around the rest of the room. It was even equipped with a professional grade bar, likely stocked to the brim with alcohol.

"He wasn't kidding." Itachi blinks at the rather extravagant room as he sits down and prepares to get to work.

The large, leather-bound tome sat on top of a dusty pile, the cover weathered, and the pages yellowed with age. Ancient. Older, even, than Sasuke. It was thick and heavy, as though decades of knowledge was stored within.

It almost felt like some kind of blasphemy to touch it, but Itachi did. "Let's see if he left us anything useful." He muses as he slowly and very gingerly flips through the ancient pages.

 

_December 4th - 1603_

_The child was turned today. I had planned on waiting a few years, until he was fully grown, however that thrice-damned snake forced my hand. No matter, he is still in excellent form, and will prove to be most capable, I’m sure._

_He accepted his new identity as well as could be expected, but appears melancholic. His attention is fixed on that mask. Curious, and perhaps a quirk to investigate at a later date. For now, he must learn to feed properly. Once he has, it may be safe to allow him to leave the castle. He seems to object to being confined, however, has accepted that it is for his own good._

_It is strange, having a childe after so long. I had nearly forgotten what it was to be a father. But I am certain that with time, the boy will come to have affection for me, and I for him._

 

"That's actually touching." In a strange way. It was likely the closest to paternal feelings that a vampire of Indra's age could have come to. "Well it looks like I’m on the right track." He flips another few pages, scanning the contents one by one. They largely detailed daily life, and the ways that Indra was raising Sasuke to be a good vampire ninja.

 

_January 2nd - 1604_

_Sasuke is becoming restless. The Shogun has granted permission for Sasuke to remain with me without the need for compulsion, however, Sasuke still feels the pull towards Edo. It may be prudent to take him out on a hunt to calm his nerves, else he risks running away in the middle of the night to pursue enemy forces._

_I sometimes ask him to tell me of his own hunts, how the humans train to hunt other humans. He’s a bright boy, with a healthy thirst for blood, great strength, and unwavering loyalty. He is capable of following orders precisely and swiftly, and has the disposition for giving them in return. He will make for an excellent protegee._

 

"Again, touching." Even if a bit disturbing. "Hmm. That doesn't really help with now though." Itachi needed something to help motivate Sasuke not to just quietly fade off into history. But there was so much more to read.

 

_July 21st - 1610_

_He has returned from yet another mission for the shogun. Sasuke is often gone, masquerading as the vicious, bloodthirsty assassin known as Taka. He is the winged creature that haunts the country. However, in those rare moments when he removes the mask, I see the child he once was. He wishes to visit his family._

_I have told him that it is inadvisable, as they would know that there is something gravely wrong with the boy. The boy should be a man, well into his third decade, however, he remains an adolescent, a child. He believes that simply wearing the mask, and concealing his face from them will allow him to approach them. However, I doubt that they would so easily overlook the fact that he has not grown in seven years._

_It is a worrying thought, that he might grow disconnected from himself, from his own identity. Therefore, I make sure to impress upon him that he is an Uchiha, and that is something to stand by and be proud of. He knows his duties, and so long as he holds true to them, he will survive. I fear for what might happen should the world change once more. He is young, adaptable, yes. But the child loves too strongly._

_I fear what may happen, should his heart be broken._

 

He sighs at that. "Well his fear wasn't unfounded." So that was what had gone wrong. Indra had drilled into Sasuke his ninja duties too hard and when their family died, he couldn't process it. "Damn it." He flips his way through the book, searching for an answer.

 

_April 7th - 1617_

_Sasuke’s strength grows by leaps and bounds, as does his foolishness. He foolishly believes the tales of destined mates…unquestioningly, readily. He is a romantic, it is as clear as day, however this girl that he is enamored with is no blood mate._

_I have attempted to bring the affair up with him, but he refuses to listen, calling me an irritating old man who knows nothing about what lies in his heart. And…perhaps I am old, but I know more than he does…the pain of deceiving oneself._

_Though I wish that this happiness would last, I know well that it will not. And coddling the child will only make future disappointment worse. Some says…I find myself wishing that I could hide him from the cruelty of the world, but that would diminish his knowledge, his independence, his strength…and ultimately his value as well._

_Telling him of the old stories was a mistake. He believes that finding your one and only is so easy, and that even one of our kind could simply grab hold of happiness. It is…not nearly so easy as he believes. I have tasted the girl’s blood for myself, and there is no difference in the taste. It is simply excellent blood, not the divine sweetness of a destined mate’s._

_I must be sure to contain the damage when the boy discovers the truth for himself._

 

It was hard to imagine Sasuke as a romantic. "I wonder who she was." Someone had clearly captured Sasuke's attention at least for a time back then. "Well maybe, there will be something more useful towards the end." He flips the book until he was only a few pages from the last entry.

 

_September 14th - 1645_

_Sasuke is drifting from me. He disappears on the word of the new shogun for days at a time, returning drenched in the scent of blood. His control is flawless, of course, but he is withdrawing from me._

_I believe that it is because his father has died. Sasuke left to stay by his father’s bedside as the man died. And remains even now to attend the ceremonies. His siblings are aware of his…condition, his parents were just as aware. It will remain a family secret, to be shared only with whomever sits in the seat of Shogun._

_However I can see clearly that the boy’s heart is wounded. He is learning the curse that comes with being like me, like all of our kind. To remain the same as those you love age, grow sick, and die around you._

_He continues to visit the flower cities. I believe that he finds sympathy and comfort among the oiran, who so often see their fellows passing on. His few attempts to find a mate for himself have each failed, and he appears close to giving up the venture._

_Perhaps I should have taken his older brother, the third of Madara’s children, and turned the child as well. Then, Sasuke might not feel so alone. He has an incredible capacity for love, but in hiding his face, and keeping his secrets, he isolates himself even from others of our kind. He feels no connection to them, and is far too used to the human way of things._

_He informed me that he will be leaving to take up residence in the Shogun’s home once again. He intends to become nothing more than a ghost. And he is at an age where I cannot, in good conscience, stop him._

_He walks a path of blood and death and darkness, and has yet found no light with which to sustain himself. It is a path that I once walked. But Asura…he is my light. I can only hope that one day, Sasuke finds his._

 

Itachi frowns at that. Indra had seen it happening in slow motion, while he lived with the aftereffects. "Is he really too far gone?" If he had been that way since 1645... Or was it a periodic bout with melancholy that gripped him and released Sasuke at random?

“Itachi?” Sasuke glides down the last few stairs silently, dark eyes searching for his descendant, whom he found sitting on the bed. “Is Indra’s journal really that interesting? You’ve been down here for hours.” He couldn’t see how anyone could stomach reading that long about what was probably a book full of Indra’s political machinations and ways of manipulating the shogunate and the imperial court.

"Has it?" He smiles at Sasuke. "I must have lost track of time." He rises to his feet as he strides over to him.

“Clearly.” Sasuke rolls his eyes, eyeing the book suspiciously. “So, does he admit in there that he was the one behind the death of General Totoyomi?” He always did kind of wonder…

"Perhaps he does, but if so...I haven't gotten to that part yet." Translating did take some time. "I'm afraid that translating that dialect to English will take some getting used to."

“At least you’re not translating the Heian texts.” Sasuke sighs, shaking his head. “In any case, it’s getting late, and you haven’t eaten yet.”

Itachi smiles at him slyly. "Was that an offer?" If nothing else, he could keep Sasuke from doing something stupid by irritating him.

Sasuke bites back a scathing retort as Suigetsu’s bet comes to mind. Maybe… He rolls his eyes and snorts quietly. “Are you that hungry?” He hadn’t seen Itachi drink any blood since getting here, so maybe the young vampire really was getting hungry. …Well, it’s not like he’d never done that with Kakashi.

"I haven't been feeding that much recently." Itachi found that his irritation, infatuation, and concern for Sasuke had eclipsed almost everything else.

Great, Sasuke had a hungry baby vamp on his hands. “Hn. And you chastise me for not drinking as much as I should.” His fingers tug on the zipper that trailed down from his jaw to his shoulder, unzipping it halfway. Part of this was actually funny, in a way, though. “You’re going to end up as spoiled as Kakashi…”

He rolls his eyes at that. "I doubt that will prove to be the case." Kakashi was Kakashi. "That vampire truly is one of a kind."

“Yes…he is, isn’t he?” Sasuke chuckles softly, approaching Itachi, before stepping around him and sitting on the bed. “You’re not a messy eater, are you?” He tilts his head to the side, eyes fixed on Itachi as he exposes his smooth, pale neck.

"I'm an engineer. I don't really do anything messy." He assures Sasuke as he sinks his fangs into the other man's neck.

Sasuke flinches slightly. It had been over a hundred years since he last allowed someone to feed on him, and Itachi’s technique left…a fair bit to be desired. “Do you usually drink bloodwine, or feed from humans?”

"Mostly bloodwines. I wasn't aware that you required the gentle technique that feeding off a human mandates." He chuckles as he laps up the blood and then he stops laughing at his grand-sire's sulking. He'd only tasted a drop or two before and it had been incredible, but this was on a whole other level.

“It’s not my fault that I’m sensitive there.” Rolling his eyes, Sasuke runs his fingers through Itachi’s hair, pulling him off slightly as he readjusts himself, breathing to loosen the muscles. “I at least hope that you wait for the poor humans’ muscles to relax before just going in like that. But I suppose you’re a bit young to have developed more of a personal style of biting.”

"I'm very gentle with humans." He looks up at him after retracting his fangs to speak. "I figured an ancient vampire ninja would be able to handle a love bite." Itachi smiles at him teasingly as he licks the mark. "I should go easy on my elder, I suppose but just so you know, you taste really, really fucking good." He half purrs and half growls with pleasure before going back to drinking.

“Smartass baby vamp…” Sasuke grips Itachi’s hair, hard, shivering at the feeling of Itachi’s tongue against his skin. “I haven’t done this in over a century, so forgive me if I’m a little sensitive to being bitten like a SHARK.”

He chuckles at that. "Well I suppose it runs in the family." Itachi continues drinking from him. "Being a smartass and a predator. You fancy yourself a hawk. So I may as well be a shark."

“Hawks are…cooler.” Sasuke blinks, a few spots dancing in his vision. Itachi was drinking…a lot. “You really like the taste of my blood, huh?”

"Such a vain hawk, but I suppose it is to be expected when you have such exceptional feathers and blood." He licks the bite mark soothingly before drinking a little more.

“Yeah…” Sasuke sighs, his eyelids growing heavy. He leans his head on Itachi’s shoulder, feeling kind of light-headed. “Do you…feel better, now?”

"Much better." He smiles at him. "You can drink from me if you want, I know that I drank more than I probably should have."

It was tempting, but… “I’m okay.” He wasn’t and Sasuke knew it, but he didn’t want to take advantage of Itachi. “It’s not so bad.” Sasuke had felt a lot worse when he was first weaning himself off blood. The numbness would go away soon enough.

Itachi tilts his head. "Alright, if you're sure. I really don't mind though." It was only fair. "It's not like you could actually hurt me by taking too much."

“Hn…” Sasuke groggily opens his eyes, the color flickering back and forth from onyx to ruby and back again. “Suigetsu…made a stupid bet…said…I should try drinking…your blood. …Stupid asshole…” That merman knew that Sasuke didn’t drink from people anymore.

"That does sound like Suigetsu." Itachi shakes his head in amusement. "Well I can't in good conscience be the reason you lose your bet, can I?"

“…” Sasuke’s eyelids begin to slide shut again. “…You’re an idiot too…” Still…maybe just a little wouldn’t hurt. He was running pretty low on blood as it was. He glides his lips slowly along Itachi’s neck, barely noticing the soft, spicy scent of Itachi’s skin. His tongue pokes out, gently caressing the pale skin there, before he grazes just above the vein with his fangs, sucking on the skin a little, sensitizing it, before slowly sinking his teeth into Itachi’s neck.

He shivers slightly, but not from fear. Definitely not from fear. "Yes, I suppose that runs in the family too." Itachi manages to still himself though as Sasuke bites him.

Unable to muster the energy to glare, Sasuke notes that chocolate seemed to be a family thing too. Milk chocolate, sweet grape and strawberry wine, and with a snap of cinnamon and nutmeg. Sweet and rich and spicy. And…it suited Itachi. It tasted…like nothing Sasuke had ever tasted before. He could get drunk off this blood, easy.

Itachi sighs in pleasure at the feeling of Sasuke feeding off of him. He'd never really let someone feed on him before. Did it always feel this way?

So good…but somewhere at the back of his mind, Sasuke knew he had to stop indulging. He could hurt Itachi badly if he didn’t cut himself off early. No matter how good the young vampire’s blood tasted. So, he retracts his fangs, licks up the last few drops of blood, and leans tiredly against Itachi. “…You’re not getting out of meditating, you know.”

“I wouldn't dream of it." He smiles at Sasuke. "I think my Sensei would be very displeased with me, if I was to skip my lessons."

Smirking softly, Sasuke huffs amusedly. “Smartass…” Sleep…sleep was good.

"I must take after you then." He shakes his head and pushes Sasuke down. "You really should get some sleep."

But the old vampire was already out like a light, not a sound coming from him, and not a single twitch either. Just the shadow of a smile on his face.

Itachi smiles as he pulls the blankets around him. "Well that's better." At least he didn't look nearly so tense now. A decent meal had probably done him some good.


	11. Chapter 11

Thirty hours and counting. It was how long it had been since Sasuke fell asleep. And despite moving a little a few times, there had been no success in rousing him. He was dead to the world. Which…really wasn’t something new, as he’d been ‘dead’ for over four hundred years now.

"Jugo, is...he alright?" Sasuke had been asleep for over a day and honestly, it was really starting to worry Itachi.

“Well, no, he’s not, but that’s far from a new development.” Jugo sighs at the sight of his friend, looking small and fragile in the tangle of blankets. “He just needs sleep and a lot of blood, he’s running pretty low on it.” It was basically the vampiric version of having low blood pressure, as far as Jugo could tell.

"I must have taken too much from him." Itachi frowns at that thought. "I did give him some of my own, of course." It was only fair.

Jugo had figured as much. “But he took less than you did.” And that was dangerous. “He usually runs pretty low, but if he didn’t take as much from you as you did him…” Or more, which would have been better for Sasuke. “We’ll probably have to force it into him, again.”

Itachi nods as he gazes down at the man who had sired his own sire. "He's the most stubborn vampire that I've ever met." He shakes his head. "We'll just have to get more blood into his system."

“Preferably at least two or three liters of it. So close to nine bottles of bloodwine.” Or enough to kill a human, though Jugo would never resort to such a thing. “I would offer him mine…” Jugo had plenty to spare. “But he refuses to drink from people.”

Itachi sighs and and nods as he scurries off and gets the bloodwine. "Here it is." He'd brought a dozen bottle just to be on the safe side.

“Good.” Jugo eyes the bloodwine, frowning. It would be difficult to get anyone, let alone Sasuke, to drink that much wine in one sitting. Two or three liters of blood was one thing, but twelve liters of wine? That was a little much. “How much did he drink from you? A glass’ worth of blood?”

"Not that much, I just figured I'd grab extra." The young vampire looks sheepish. "In case he needed it."

“Maybe…” Though an idea was coming to mind that just might work. “The more we try to make him drink, the greater the fuss he makes about it.” That, and Jugo wasn’t sure that blood that old would really taste that great. “But if it came from a source that appeals to him, if we could concentrate and replenish the blood…” He eyes Itachi cautiously. “You’re the first person he’s drunk from since the civil war. I’d like to think…we’d all like to think that means something.”

"Probably because I’m family and his Childe's Childe." The engineer nods at the thought. "I certainly don't mind him drinking from me though."

Jugo sighs with relief. “As long as you keep your own blood supply up…” He gestures to the bottles. “Sasuke should be able to get everything he needs from you. He’ll just need…well, you’ll probably need to force him to drink. He’s the type to need a very firm hand, and unfortunately, there aren’t many who can challenge him on his level.”

If Sasuke really objected, there was no forcing him. "I'll try to persuade him in a manner that won't destroy this beautiful estate." Though Itachi suspected that once he had blood in his system, he'd be less stubborn.

Oh boy. Jugo coughs suggestively. “In that case, I would suggest taking advantage of Sasuke’s natural…disadvantage.” Well, that was something that Jugo would rather not imagine. Suigetsu and Karin were bad enough in that regard. “He does have issues with his hormones.” Meaning perpetually stuck as a horny teenager.

"I doubt he'd be interested." Itachi rolls his eyes. "He'll sate his desires with random snow demons though." Well that was a bit harsh, he supposed. It was only one snow demon, but still.

…Well, maybe Suigetsu’s bet had some ground for Jugo to stand on. “How did Sasuke’s blood taste to you?”

Everyone kept asking him that, but Itachi didn't mind answering again. "Dark melted chocolate and expensive, old fashioned sake." It was the same answer though. The same one he always gave when asked.

“Okay.” Not quite what Jugo meant. “But how did you feel when you drank it?” Suigetsu had said that it was possible, but maybe he was off on this. “Did you not feel anything?”

"It tasted delicious. Better than even Kakashi's blood and I had a hard time stopping." He had almost drained Sasuke dry. "That's why he's...like this. I drank too much."

“It was special, wasn’t it?” Jugo smiles softly, stepping unusually quietly towards the door. “And yours must be as well, otherwise Sasuke wouldn’t have had more than a few drops.”

Itachi nods. Of course, it was special. "Yes, very special." It was Sasuke's.

“That’s…very good.” Jugo’s smile widens a little. “Then…I leave him to you. And I hope that you succeed where we all failed.” He glances at the old vampire, the one who so looked like a child when he slept. “You might be the only one who can.”

"If worst comes to worst, I'll just shove the blood down his throat and force him to swallow." Itachi smiles a little sadistically at the thought.

“Or you could kiss it into him.” After all, it’s not like vampires needed to breathe at all. Jugo found that to be one of the most unsettling things about vampires. You didn’t know they were alive unless they were awake.

Itachi chuckles at that. "Yes, that would be fun until he tries to bite my tongue off." It would be a very Sasuke thing to do.

“He wouldn’t hurt you.” Jugo shakes his head. “That much is obvious.” The half-giant disappears up the stairs, closing the door of the Moon Room behind him, leaving only the two vampires inside.

Itachi wasn't so sure about that. He was already getting far too attached to Sasuke. "What am I going to do with you?" Itachi sighs as he bites his wrist and opens Sasuke's mouth gently, allowing a few drops of blood to fall into the other man's mouth.

Drop after drop dribbles past Sasuke’s pale lips, coating the soft pink tongue, before trickling down his throat. His body twitches as he swallows reflexively, a quiet moan unconsciously slipping out as his brow furrows slightly.

Itachi smiles at that as he continues allowing more of his blood to drip into Sasuke's mouth. "Good. Drink." He needed to drink. Sasuke had denied himself far too long.

Groaning a little, Sasuke squirms, drops of blood landing on his cheeks as he groggily starts to open his eyes. “I-Indra?” He blinks up at Itachi, vision still on the blurry side. “Wait…you’re not…”

"No, I'm not Indra." He tilts his head. "Though I suppose I should be flattered to be compared to him?" Itachi chuckles at the thought.

“…Itachi?” Pushing himself into a sitting position, Sasuke holds his head as it begins to throb with a dull ache. “What happened?” He felt like he fell out of a tree. While still human.

"I think I drank too much from you and you didn't drink enough." He smiles at him. "Though that's easily remedied. I brought you lots of bloodwine."

“Oh. That’s all.” Sasuke sighs, shaking his head. “I don’t want bloodwine. I already feel hungover.” Seriously, he did. And vampires weren’t supposed to get hungover. Well, not unless they drank their weight in alcohol.

Itachi frowns and looks at him in concern. "Then you can have some of my blood." Sasuke needed to drink more. That much was obvious.

Sasuke shoots his descendant a scathing look. “I’ve already had some of your blood.” And it had been…incredible. Too incredible.

"You didn't have enough." He needed more. "Sasuke, stop being stubborn. I really don't mind."

“But I do!” That short exclamation has Sasuke’s head throbbing again. “I…I could hurt you.” Whenever he drank from a person…he usually drained them dry. It’s why he never drank from innocent humans. Only the corpses he’d left behind as an assassin.

He really was being stubborn. "Fine, have it your way." He grabs one of the bloodwine bottles and heads to the bathroom briefly, before returning to Sasuke. "Drink." Itachi promptly hands him the bottle and looks at him expectantly. "There is a pint of my blood in there."

Sasuke glares at the young vampire before him. Like hell was he the only one being stubborn. “Why?” He’d tasted it once, and if he tasted it again…even he didn’t know what would happen. “Why do you care so much what happens to a lone, old vampire?”

"Because we're family and without you, I would already be dead." Itachi shakes his head as though thoroughly exasperated. "Besides, you aren't that old, really. Compared to Indra, you're a newborn baby, and I suppose I must be something of a masochist. That's why!"

The tone of Itachi’s voice is what shuts Sasuke up, rather than the words. The fledgling sounded…angry? Hurt? Frustrated? But…he had no idea what kind of danger he was in. “…You really want me to drink your blood?” Maybe…he could control it? It had been so long…and he’d only gotten one taste. But he already craved it. And he didn’t WANT to crave it.

"I want you to drink." Itachi sighs as though Sasuke was being a difficult child by not taking his medicine. "I don't care if it's my blood, bloodwine, or someone else's. You need to drink though."

Hands clenching around the bottle, Sasuke glares at it. He was shaking, he knew it. His whole body was protesting against his restraint, and he could feel the lust for blood rising in his throat. “…Just a little.” Itachi would have to be content with that.

Well it was a start. "That's fine. You just need to drink something." At least Sasuke had relented a little. Itachi really didn't want to have to resort to force.

Fumbling with the bottle, his fingers feeling kind of numb, Sasuke stares at it a moment longer, before slowly raising it to his lips. And with the first sip, he wished he hadn’t. “…I’m not drinking that.” His nose crinkles up, displeased by the taste.

"Well maybe, it was a bad year." He shrugs and bites his wrist again, letting some blood fall into a different one. "Try this."

Tongue still rebelling against the taste of the first bottle, Sasuke tries a sip of the second, only to be met with the same awful taste. “…It’s just as disgusting as the first.” And Sasuke was sure that it wasn’t that the bloodwine was bad, per say, just… “The wine doesn’t mix well with your blood.” It was the only thing that made sense. Itachi’s blood tasted better than this crap.

"Oh hmm…" Well maybe it was because of Itachi’s age. "Might be because I'm a fledgling." Who knew really?

Sasuke puts aside the bottle, looking away from Itachi. “No, it’s not.” It wasn’t Itachi’s fault at all. “Your blood just tastes better on its own.” He clenches his fists, lying back down and turning onto his side as he pulls the covers over him. “…Milk chocolate…strawberry wine…cinnamon, and nutmeg…it doesn’t work with the bloodwines.”

"That does sound good and rather festive, I suppose?" Itachi chuckles at the thought. "Well, I'm glad you drank something. Are you feeling better?"

No, his head was still throbbing, and he was feeling…nauseous. “I’m fine.” Cold, he felt cold as well, like…well, like a vampire who hadn’t had enough blood. It was just worse this time, compared to all of the others.

Itachi shakes his head at that. "For a ninja, you are a horrible liar." He sighs as he watches him with wary eyes. Maybe, Jugo had a point. He might have to use some rather underhanded tactics to get anywhere.

“I’m not a bad liar.” Sasuke just…didn’t really feel like putting a lot of effort into deception right now. Plus, he didn’t usually talk to his targets.

"Then you're being lazy and that's only another sign that you need more." Why did Sasuke have to be so difficult? "Don't make me take drastic measures."

Growling quietly, Sasuke pulls the covers over his head, disappearing beneath the silken black sheets. Was he being stubborn about this? Yes, and he knew it. But between his fear of hurting Itachi, his pride, and his fear of…what drinking Itachi’s blood had…DONE to him, well, he didn’t want to take any chances.

There were times when Sasuke truly did act his age. "Ridiculous." Itachi bites his tongue until it bled and yanks the covers off of Sasuke, kissing him in such a way that he had forced his bleeding tongue into the elder’s mouth.

“Mmmpf.” Sasuke’s eyes widen as the sweet taste of Itachi’s blood smears across his tongue and drips down his throat. It was by far the most violent kiss he’d ever experienced, but…there was something possessive and sensual about the way that Itachi shoved his tongue down his throat.

Well it seemed like he had finally taken Sasuke by surprise about something. Itachi would have to thank Jugo for the tip later. He wasn't entirely sure that this counted as a kiss or not. It was far more aggressive than any kiss that Itachi had ever had given before, but it had to be to ensure Sasuke tasted his blood. That he got what he needed.

Sasuke’s fangs ached, growing longer, sharper, and his eyes, he knew, were burning ruby red with hunger and…desire, a desire that he’d never felt. Itachi’s blood…it just tasted so sweet. He couldn’t…couldn’t… He reaches up, pushing Itachi upwards, and breaking the bloody kiss as that blood trickles from the corners of his mouth. His fingers tremble, his whole body shivering a little with cold and…other sensitivity as he licks up the blood, smearing the last few traces around his lips. “Itachi…”

"Don't lecture me." It was a good thing that Itachi didn't actually need to breathe or he would have been breathless. "You needed to feed and we both know it." That or worse, Sasuke might lecture him about kissing him in general.

“So your brilliant plan is to tempt me into feeding?” Sasuke’s grip on Itachi’s arms tightens. The young vampire was just…impossible to resist. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Itachi.”

"Well more like I was force feeding you, but it is flattering to hear you view it that way." Itachi tilts his head at him. "I didn't think that you could be tempted." Though Sasuke was holding onto his arms tightly. Was he angry with him or just turned on. Feeding and sex were often closely associated when it came to vampires.

Biting his lip, Sasuke’s eyes flicker over the tantalizing curve of Itachi’s neck. “You…really have no idea…” He swallows thickly, feeling a few more drops of blood go down. “How incredible you taste.” The best he’d tasted, and he’d tasted thousands. “You’re pure and innocent and…” He licks his lips, the red glow of his eyes pulsing. “Delicious…”

But as soon as the thought of plunging his fangs into that soft skin and drinking, finally being able to sate his century and a half long hunger, occurred to him, faces did as well. Screaming faces. Blood, fire, death. His family lying dead in their home, attacked for being loyal. He couldn’t save them, and now he was dragging Itachi into this as well.

"I wouldn't really call me innocent or pure, but that's flattering that you have such a misconceived notion of me." Itachi chuckles, until he saw that Sasuke was panicking again. "Whatever it is, don't. Don't spiral." He could see it in his eyes. Sasuke was reliving some horror of the past.

Sasuke froze up, feeling nothing but ice in his veins. Well, that, and the crushing weight of guilt. Centuries of it. And…hunger, the kind that gnawed at you until you eventually gave in. But he hadn’t, not yet. Hunger. Blood. …Itachi’s blood. “Itachi…” Reaching up, he pulls the closest source of warmth towards him, holding it tightly against his body.

The next thing he knew was the taste of salt on his tongue, and the feeling of his fangs piercing a jugular vein. And the sweet…sweet taste of blood.

Itachi gasps, but he didn't protest. "It's alright." He was more surprised than anything as he strokes Sasuke's hair soothingly, trying to comfort him from whatever images were plaguing him.

The blood continues to flow, and Sasuke sucks hard on the place where the bite marks could be felt. “Mine…” He was at best, delirious, and at worst, completely drunk on the taste of the blood. Mouthful after mouthful, the sweet taste drove away the images of blood and death. Blood was…blood was good. Yes…good…

"Mhm." Itachi figures it was best to indulge Sasuke in whatever he was seeing or feeling for the moment. "That's better." He was drinking a lot, but that didn't bother Itachi much. He could always nip Sasuke, if he got too lightheaded and it felt good to be praised by the other vampire this way...even if Sasuke likely wouldn't remember any of it.

Over a dozen and a half mouthfuls of blood later, Sasuke opens his eyes, not having remembered closing them in the first place, but finding himself lucid enough to note the position they were in. After taking another few mouthfuls of blood, he reluctantly detaches himself, retracting his fangs from Itachi’s neck and licking up the divine-tasting blood. “Are you alright?” He’d probably taken too much. But the fool had brought it on himself!

"Lightheaded, but I'm alright." Itachi glides his hand up Sasuke's arm and pulls it towards him, slowly biting down on it and savoring the taste of his blood.

Sasuke’s pupils dilate a little more as he takes in the sight of Itachi drinking his blood. “You didn’t stop me.”

"No. Should I have?" He laps at the blood. "You needed it and it didn't hurt me. It felt...good, actually. There was no need." He needed to pace himself. There was no point in feeding Sasuke, only to drain him, so he reluctantly tears his fangs away from him.

“…” Sasuke stares up at the younger vampire, his body humming with restless energy. “Was this the extent of your grand master plan?” Because if it was, then it was probably a good idea for Sasuke to sneak out of the estate and find someone to…work off some of this energy excess with. Feeding that much had a habit of getting him all worked up.

"Mostly, I wanted to get you to feed." Itachi sighs as he kisses Sasuke's forehead. "You needed it. You need to take better care of yourself, but..." He glances down noting the impressive tent in Sasuke's pants. "I don't mind taking care of you either."

The innocent kiss was nice, Sasuke supposed, but despite his resolute decision not to sleep with immortals…he rather liked the way that Itachi looked at him. Most people just looked at him with awe or lust, sometimes both. But there really was more there when Itachi’s own crimson eyes turned on him. “If you think you can.” And…Sasuke’s mouth was running away with him again.

"I know I can." Itachi kisses him again. "If you'll let me." He didn't really want Sasuke to run off on him again, but he wasn't entirely sure how much he could get away with either.

What Itachi was offering…it made Sasuke’s blood burn and grow cold all at once. And despite having almost no room to move, he turns himself over, pressing his face into his pillow. “Forget it…it’s a bad idea…”

"I honestly don't understand." Itachi rolls his eyes. "Your cock seems to like me well enough, yet I am apparently no match for the snow demon or your pretty geishas." He was rock hard and turning him down. Why? Was it because they were both Uchihas? That hadn't bothered Sasuke enough not to kiss him in the first place. couldn't be it.

“That’s not it.” Sasuke grits his teeth, arms wrapping around one of the many pillows dotting the bed. “…When you get to my age, you’ve watched a lot of people die. Getting attached…is just setting yourself up for pain.”

So that was it. "I'm a vampire like you." He wasn't nearly as fragile as humans. "You've made attachments before though. Jugo, Karin, Suigetsu, and Kakashi." What made him any different? "And do explain to me the difference between having me live with you and training me to defend myself and becoming my lover. Explain to me how becoming your lover makes you more vulnerable because you've already attached yourself to me to a certain degree."

It was a low blow, but Jugo's words came back to him. "You even showed me Aoda. I doubt you show the dragon to just anyone." He shakes his head. "It's one thing if you aren't attracted to me. It'd be one thing if you weren't seeking a relationship, but you've clearly made bonds, even sexual ones, with other immortals before." Well at least one. Kakashi. "Why is this so different?"

“Because YOU’RE different!” A single ruby eye glares back at Itachi, the rest of Sasuke’s face still obscured from sight. What was it that Itachi didn’t get? “Because getting involved with you means…” Means dredging up hopes and dreams that he’d left behind long ago. “…It means opening myself up to more pain.”

"Forgive me, maybe it's my youth but it doesn't seem as though you can get much more miserable than you currently are at the moment." Damn it! What was it going to take? "Opening yourself is risky, but it is better than dying a slow death isn't it?!"

“Risky?” Sasuke laughs humorlessly. “It’s ended in misery every time I’ve tried. Every time I opened my heart, hoping for the best, whoever I loved…they died, and I was the one left hurting. So forgive my reluctance to trust that everything will go right this time.”

Itachi sighs as he reaches out to touch him. "Sasuke, you're beautiful. Inside and out." He didn't want the other vampire to do this to himself. To slowly descend into oblivion when he didn't have to. "It would be a shame to watch you wither when this doesn't have to come to pass. You'll find what you're looking for, but only if you're willing to look."

Sasuke tenses a little as he feels Itachi’s warmth on his back. “…I know where it is.” He’d figured it out while gulping down Itachi’s blood.

"Well that's good." Finally, they were making progress. "So act like the vampire ninja you are and take what you want." Well within reason. Though he doubted that Sasuke would actually force someone to be with him. Had he finally found his bloodmate? Had he just been too scared to act on it?

His eyes close as Sasuke sinks deeper into the sheets. “Tell me something…you said that my blood tastes better than Kakashi’s. Why do you think that is?”

"I suppose it has something to do with your age and the fact that we're family." He pauses and sighs as though slightly embarrassed to admit something. "And my obvious sexual attraction towards you may also be another factor."

Sasuke sighs, shaking his head, before quickly reversing their positions, pressing Itachi’s back to the sheets. “Age affects the potency, and attraction affects your appetite, the family link does nothing. Indra’s blood tastes of spiced and honeyed mead. Even so, I still prefer yours. Kakashi must have taught you something. So why do you think that is?”

He blinks at that. The possibility hadn't genuinely occurred to him before, but it would explain a lot. "You think we're bloodmates?" Could that really be it? It would explain his jealousy over Sasuke and why his blood tasted so good and why Sasuke seemed to feel the same way about his own.

Reaching for his collar, Sasuke tugs it down to expose his neck. “Give me another taste, then tell me what you think.”

"Alright." He licks his neck slowly. Sasuke seemed to prefer a gentler bite. "I will." A bit paradoxical really considering he was a vampire ninja, but Itachi certainly didn't mind drinking from him. So he sinks his teeth into Sasuke slowly and begins to drink. Sighing in pleasure as the sweet blood coats his tongue.

Sasuke shivers as Itachi’s fangs shift in his skin. He’d drunk enough blood that he could spare a little now. Not that he really felt like pushing his luck again, but this was the best way he could see to prove his point to Itachi. “…Do you believe me now?”

"I believe you." His voice was barely more than a whisper. Itachi retracts his fangs and licks the bite mark soothingly.

A wistful sigh escapes Sasuke as he lays his head on Itachi’s chest. “…Three and a half centuries after I stop looking…and a century and a half after I give up. The universe sure has shit timing. Or an even shittier sense of humor.”

Itachi runs his fingers through the other vampire's hair. "Well they say that it happens when you least expect it." This certainly qualified as that.

“I suppose.” Not that it made Sasuke feel any better. He’d still gone centuries without finding this, without finding Itachi. “…Is it wrong for me to wish that you’d been born a couple hundred years earlier?”

"No." Itachi sighs and shakes his head. "I'd say that's perfectly normal." His age was likely going to be an issue in their relationship. "Though there is no point in dwelling on such things."

“Hn.” Sasuke smiles, leaning up a little and propping himself up on Itachi’s chest. “Well, then I guess the biggest obstacle now is going to be overcoming Kakashi’s hands-off approach to your education.” That was going to be a little annoying, but he supposed that it could also be kind of fun. “I can pick up the slack, though. I always was a better teacher.”

The other vampire snorts. "You're fortunate that you have your looks, your power, and your intelligence, because your pick up lines could be improved on." He shakes his head. "Before you I never had one partner complain about my skills in the sensual arts."

“If that was actually a pick-up line, I would be ashamed of myself.” Sasuke smirks, finding the young vampire’s reaction to be rather amusing. He glides calloused fingers along the soft curve of Itachi’s cheekbone. “But if you think that you can prove my assumptions wrong…well, then I guess we’ll just have to see about that.”

"As I said before, I don't think I can prove your assumptions wrong." Itachi brushes his lips against Sasuke's in a ghost of a kiss. "I know that I can."

There’s a slight tremble in Sasuke’s fingers, before he smiles softly, eyes glowing red. “Then prove it.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celestia193's Author's Note: And now, the story really earns its E rating. Enjoy!

Then prove it. Those words were followed by a slow, sensual discarding of Sasuke’s shirt, as if he’d had combined a strip tease with a lap dance. And the sexy ‘dancing’ vampire smirked as he observed the mesmerized expression of the fledgling beneath him.

Itachi smiles and licks Sasuke's ear slowly, nibbling on it slightly as his hands begin to glide over the pale, lithe, muscular chest that was currently displayed before him so nicely. "I will." It was hard to tell what a vampire like Sasuke would like. Was he the sort that preferred no frills and just wanted to skip to the dessert or was he someone for whom foreplay and the pageantry of lovemaking was a must?

Sasuke’s eyes glow a little brighter as Itachi’s hands caress him, and he presses himself into the touches, leaning down to breathe into Itachi’s own ear. “Such a nice, considerate baby vamp.” He knew that Itachi hated it when he called him that, but Sasuke just couldn’t help wanting to fuck with him.

At first, he marvels at the strength he felt underneath his fingertips. The sleek muscle that he knew had been sculpted to perfection from centuries of training in nearly forgotten ninja arts, but then…Sasuke just had to go and say that. "I'm not a baby vampire." He bites Sasuke’s ear lightly in reprimand, and flips them, pressing Sasuke down into the bedsheets.

Now that he was on top, Itachi was bound and determined to get his bloodmate to acknowledge him as something other than a baby vampire or a fledgling. So he slides his hand down lower until he came to Sasuke's pants, which he yanks off, along with Sasuke’s boxers in one swift tug.

Smirking as his arousal becomes very…known, Sasuke flips them back over, pressing him hard against the bed and gliding his teeth along the back of Itachi’s neck. “Then why don’t you show me just how much you’ve learned? I would greatly look forward to your…presentation.” And to seeing if Itachi was really the one who could compete with him on Sasuke’s level. It was a pretty high bar, but maybe, just maybe…

"Alright, I will." Itachi smirks as he manages to flip them yet again. Sasuke was being stubborn about this, but Itachi could be even more so. With that thought in mind, he moves down and takes the tip of Sasuke's erection into his mouth. He lavishes it with his tongue. "And then you will stop calling me that!" That ridiculous nickname, he was not a baby vamp.

“Nngh…that’s a good start.” Sasuke’s fingers twitch as silky black strands catch between them. “A very good start.” And Itachi had a surprisingly dexterous tongue, well, if the teasing treatment that he was giving Sasuke’s cock was any indication. Then there was the exquisite pressure of Itachi’s lips wrapped around the hardened tip. Wonderful…

Pleased that Sasuke wasn't so cocky when Itachi had the other vampire’s cock in his mouth, Itachi continues sucking. He takes more of the impressive erection into his mouth and sucks gently, while his tongue continues lapping at it. His fangs lightly graze the sensitive flesh, but never deeply enough to cause pain.

Hissing in surprise at the sensation, Sasuke’s hips buck up as sharp fangs tease the turgid length. It felt like…well, it felt like Itachi was gently claiming possession of his cock. “…Come on.” Sasuke’s red eyes stare down at the sight of Itachi sucking him off like an eager little student wanting to please their master. “Don’t be shy.”

It was looking more like he preferred to skip straight to dessert. Well at least when it came to get sucked off anyway, Itachi muses as he begins to deep-throat the other vampire. Bobbing his head up and down his length as he looks up at him. Eye contact was a turn on for many men during this act, he had observed.

Sasuke’s fingers tighten in Itachi’s hair as his hips thrust up in time with Itachi’s movements. It was a good thing vampires didn’t need to breathe, otherwise this sort of thing would be impossible. And those eyes…crimson and beautiful, and shining just for him. They made it very hard to think. “Maybe…we’ll make use of the chains-” He hisses as the tip of his cock hits the back of Itachi’s throat at a new angle. “U-under the bed.”

"Maybe." The word was more of a muffle than anything else. It was hard to speak properly when you were sucking someone off, Itachi had discovered that a while ago. "Don't hold back." He'd get him off and prove that he wasn't a baby vamp!

“Only in battle.” Sasuke smirks, somewhat painfully as he tries to maintain his composure, even as he feels sparks of pleasure racing the length of his cock. “Ah!” Good, that felt…really good…

He continues sucking and strokes what little he couldn't fit in his mouth. Feeling rather pleased with himself for being able to elicit such reactions from the infuriatingly beautiful and stubborn vampire before him.

The knot growing ever tighter in Sasuke’s stomach squeezes its way down, shooting a useless, sugary fluid down the stiff length as Sasuke bit his lip to muffle himself. He would NOT cry out like an undignified newborn. He was over four hundred years old, and he WOULD control himself. Well, as much as he could… “Nnnh, Ita…chi…” It didn’t work nearly as well as he’d hoped.

Itachi licks him clean. "Am I still a baby vamp?" He looks at him smugly.

Sasuke glares half-heartedly at the smug expression taking over Itachi’s face. “Maybe.” Then, he smirks as he reaches for Itachi’s shirt. “After all, you don’t seem to know how to undress yourself.” He pushes it up, baring inch after inch of pale skin.

"You are such a smartass." Itachi rolls his eyes as he quickly slides his shirt off. "And now?"

“Well, ideally, you take those pants off…” Sasuke turns over onto his stomach, reaching over the side of the bed to tug out the shackled ends of a pair of thick chains, both bolted securely to the floor. “And we have some fun.” And maybe he’d teach the baby vampire some manners in the process.

"Yes, that does sound like a fine idea." While Sasuke was distracted, Itachi grabs the chains and clamps them around Sasuke’s wrists. "Much better. I do like the way you think at times." Before he swiftly kicks off his pants and boxers.

…Fuck. Sasuke tugs against the chains, but they hold fast. Of course, that was the point, he wouldn’t have put them here if they were easy to break. “Sneaky little…” If he pulled too hard or too long, he knew that he’d just make himself bleed all over the sheets.

Of course, as a vampire, there wasn’t all that much, save for some of the more…hardcore fetishes, that Sasuke hadn’t tried. But…he’d always been the one binding someone else. He’d never let someone get the drop on him like that before. “…Let me make one thing clear. You got lucky…to have had even a chance of pulling this.” He presses against the bed at the elbows, the hips, the knees, and feet, trying to apply enough leverage as he tries once more to free himself, but to no avail.

It was hard not to laugh, but Itachi was sure there was still a great deal of amusement dancing in his eyes at the sight of Sasuke's sulking. "Yes, I know I am incredibly lucky and so are you." He kisses him heatedly as he reaches into the nearby drawer and pulls out a bottle of lubrication. Sasuke was such a dominant that certain considerations had to be taken.

As the kiss breaks, Sasuke’s eyes widen just a fraction at the sight of the bottle. Of course…that’s what Itachi was after. “…And here I thought I’d be the first one to use that bottle.” Everything down here was unused, but that was because Sasuke typically didn’t bring any one-night stands home. And this room was…special. He’d built it long…long ago, when he’d still had hope that this day would come. He’d built it for Itachi, to ravish his mate in. Well, it seemed that most of that was finally going to plan, save for one part as Sasuke stares back over his shoulder. “You’re seriously planning on trying to take me?”

"There is still no trying, only doing." When was Sasuke going to get that through his head? "Yes, though." He kisses him again as he coats his hand in the creamy substance. "To me, sex is sex. It matters little if my partner takes the reins or not during it, just as long as it's enjoyable." Itachi shakes his head as strokes himself slowly for Sasuke's benefit. "I know you, though. If I let you take control the first time, you'll get some absurd notion into your head that you wear the pants in this relationship or something." And Itachi couldn't have that.

“Well, I AM older than you.” Was it so wrong to expect that at least in private, Sasuke could take the reins without being looked at funny? He looked like the high school boyfriend of a university student, so of course humans were going to look at them weird. “And more experienced.”

"And I look forward to benefiting from your experience." He really was sensitive about this. "Soon." He continues stroking himself for a moment before coating his fingers again. "Besides, do you really mind it that much? You didn't seem to mind my taking control when I was sucking on your cock."

He smiles at Sasuke slyly and traces kisses along his jaw and over his neck while one hand strokes the other vampire. Coaxing him back to an aroused state as Itachi nips his neck lightly and slowly turns to leaving lovebites around the back. Only occasionally biting hard enough to bring a drop or two of his delicious blood to the surface.

Sasuke groans quietly, his hips bucking forward and grinding his growing erection against Itachi’s hand and the silk sheets. He could smell Itachi, even with his face half-buried in the pillow. Despite his protests, the ruby eyes darken with the smoldering heat of lust. “No man is going to protest having someone as pretty as you sucking his cock.”

"Well pretty wasn't exactly the adjective I was aiming for, but I'll take it." He leaves a trail of kisses along Sasuke's shoulders. "Well at least in private." Itachi did have some pride, after all. With that thought in mind, he makes sure to coat his fingers even more in the lubrication, before sliding a single digit into his new lover.

“If I have to suffer the word, then so do you!” Sasuke tenses up at the intrusion. It had been quite a while since anyone had the gall to stick anything up THERE. “I guess…someone knows how to play with their fingers.” And it felt huge, but smooth. Right, Itachi’s hands were bigger than his. They also hadn’t seen the centuries of wielding blades that Sasuke’s calloused palms had.

Itachi nods as he places more kisses to his shoulders and he tries to stretch his lover. "I've been dominant and submissive." He knew how to please either kind of lover, really. "My natural preference is dominant, but…I'm something of a sixty-forty." If he had to guess. Though it was hard to think of anything else besides how hard he was and how fucking tight Sasuke was.

“That so?” Sasuke squirms against Itachi’s fingers, slowly getting used to the feeling of having someone’s digits up his ass again. …Fine, he could humor the fledgling. “I get the feeling that it would piss you off to hear my statistics, so I’ll leave that to your imagination.”

"I imagine the only person that you may have let top you is Kakashi." He adds a second finger and nips on Sasuke's ear. "Though he pisses me off less than the snow demon." Kakashi had saved his life. Kakashi had sired him. He had also been with Sasuke probably before Itachi had even been born. "No more of that, by the way." He searches for his lover's spot. "I don't mind letting you take the reins during sex, but I don't share."

Sasuke groans softly at the growing intrusion, bucking back against Itachi’s fingers and making the links of the chains clink together. “Alright, alright…” The entire point of the sex had been to fill a dark void inside him, but if he had Itachi…then maybe, just maybe that hole would start to disappear. “I get it. No more sleeping around.”

"You can have as much sex as you like." Itachi bites down lightly on his shoulder. "Just with me, instead of whatever random slut you pick up." Yes, he was certainly an Uchiha. Just as possessive as the rest of their family had been.

Sasuke shivers as Itachi’s fangs dig into his shoulder. “Okay, I get it, already!” His fingers curl into a pillowcase, and all of the muscles of his body flex and relax. But he couldn’t resist getting a jab in. “Then you’d better work on your stamina.”

Itachi adds a third finger for that. "I assure you that my stamina is more than adequate."

“Oh yeah?” Sasuke felt heat racing through his veins, something that happened only rarely, and only when he got suitably excited. “I suppose we’ll just-” He moans as Itachi’s fingers reach the spot inside him that drove him wild. “Ah! Have to see about that!”

"That's better." Itachi finally found his spot. "Do you prefer fast or slow?" He pumps his fingers inside him a bit more. Stretching him a little bit further before sliding them out of the other vampire. Because he was about to replace them with something far bigger.

Biting his lip, Sasuke felt his cheeks heat up. But he tamped down the feeling, as he was almost too turned on to care. “…Hard and fast.” He was the kind of vampire who reveled in rough sex, though it wasn’t something he got very often. Humans were just…too fragile.

Hard and fast was fine with Itachi. "Alright." He bites down on Sasuke's shoulder to distract him (and to savor the taste of his sweet blood some more) as he thrusts inside his bloodmate for the first time, joining them together as one entity.

Sucking in a normally unneeded breath, Sasuke arches underneath Itachi, groaning as he feels himself being filled up. His fingers scrabble to grab at the edge of the bed as his head turns, granting him a better view of the young vampire atop him, and Itachi a better angle from which to drink. “Hah…Itachi…” His hips roll back and forth encouragingly, his hormones overriding his pride.

"You feel so fucking good." Itachi half purrs and half snarls with pleasure as he savors the taste of his blood and begins moving inside his lover. Slowly at first, testing him. "So fucking good." When it became apparent that he wasn't hurting the other vampire, he moves faster. Faster and faster. Fast enough that the bed begins to shake beneath them.

Feeling the planes of Itachi’s chest sliding against his back, Sasuke rolls his hips up a little, pressing closer to Itachi as his body undulates against the sheets. “H-ah! H-harder!” Sasuke could feel Itachi grazing just over where he wanted him. “A-and down a bit.”

Itachi slams into him harder and faster, angling his thrusts downward. "Like this?" It figures that Sasuke would try to top from the bottom, Itachi muses as he revels in the feeling of Sasuke's tight backside and the rich, bittersweet taste of his blood.

Right…there. Itachi’s accuracy was such that Sasuke did something rather undignified. “Oh gods, yes!” He screamed. “Itachi!” His whole body rocks back against Itachi, well, to the best of its semi-squashed ability.

"I like it when you scream my name." Itachi glides his tongue along the bite mark as he slams into Sasuke faster and faster. "You remind me of one of those ancient statues of Rome or Greece." Perfectly sculpted white marble. "Only better, because you're flesh and blood, and because you feel so good wrapped around my cock." Sasuke was likely what those ancient artists had sought to achieve and they had only partially succeeded. He doubted there was really anyone who could have captured his beautiful masculinity completely.

“Ah! Hah!” Sasuke’s fingers spasm, his body tightening with orgasm as his eyes glow with lust and pleasure. He could feel the sheets growing wet beneath him, reluctant but passionate evidence of Itachi’s skill.

"Fuck!" He'd never had a lover who was tighter than Sasuke. "Mine!" The way he was squeezing his cock was making it hard to articulate even the simplest of thoughts, but Itachi somehow manages it as he plunges in and out of his lover with a reckless abandon.

“Gods, YES!” Just as long as Itachi never left, Sasuke was perfectly fine with that. Because Itachi was his. HIS. And anyone who thought otherwise… “Nnngh!” Well, he could decide that later. All that mattered was Itachi driving him towards yet another orgasm. His third, he thought, as he ground against the sheets made slippery by his last release.

Itachi's thrusts grew less and less precise as he slams into him. It was closer to an animal coupling than one between vampires. "Feels so good." He wasn't entirely sure that he was fully coherent, but mere words couldn't describe this anyway. "Fuck!" He roars like a lion as he spills himself inside his lover.

Sasuke moans softly as he feels Itachi coating his insides. Then, he presses his ass back against Itachi’s hips. “Come on.” It was a great first round, but there was no kidding involved whenever anyone said that Sasuke was an extremely horny vampire. “You said…you had stamina?”

"You're not going to be able to walk at this rate." Itachi slides out of him and pushes Sasuke forward onto his hands and knees. "But, I suppose I can always just carry you around." He slaps his backside teasingly. "If you insist." And before Sasuke could protest, he buries himself back inside his lover.

Or they could just stay in bed. Not that Sasuke got the chance to voice such an option. Because it wasn’t long before he was moaning and screaming for Itachi again. Warm. He felt warm, cherished. Like he hadn’t in a very long time… “Itachi…!”

He slams into him hard and fast, as that seemed to be Sasuke's preferred style of lovemaking. Or maybe fucking was more accurate. "Mine." Itachi bites down on his neck and slams into him, drinking as he thrusts inside the gorgeous body below him. Again and again and again.

Pleasure, it was all just a haze of pleasure, the scent of blood and sweat, and the feeling of two bodies frantically rubbing together. It wasn’t like any of the other times, not even with Kakashi. This…this was new, special, and Sasuke hadn’t ever dreamed that sex could be like this. It seemed that even an old vampire could be taught something new.

Preferably…all night long.

* * *

 

The next morning, Chouji decides to check on Sasuke. He'd really been secluding himself for far too long down there. He knocks on the door, but hears no answer. "Strange." The friendly mountain troll checks to see if the room was locked, finding that it wasn't…he determines it was safe to enter and so that's exactly what he did. "Good morning, Sasuke.” Well, more like afternoon, but he digressed. “I brought you some nice omelettes. You really should eat more."

From the bed, Sasuke lifts his head, bringing a finger to his lips as he pulls the sheets up a little higher to obscure most of Itachi’s form. They had…enjoyed themselves for hours, and Sasuke had only woken from their subsequent ‘nap’ fifteen minutes prior. “He’s asleep.” He eyes the tray of plates, complete with omelettes piled high with toppings, toast, a pile of fruit, and a couple of glasses, obviously to go with one of the many bottles of bloodwine still scattered about the room.

Chouji's eyes widen as he nods dumbly and sets the tray down. "Oh!" He mouths congratulations and quickly scurries out so as not to disturb the slumbering vampire.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, sitting up to pull the tray towards them. The food smelled…unusually good. Better than it had in a long time. Was it…because he’d drunk Itachi’s blood? “…Thanks.” He waves Chouji away, a soft smile stretching across his face. “Take the rest of the day off.”

He smiles at him in thanks and gets out of the way as quickly as possible. Wow! The sex must have really agreed with him!

"Mmm." Itachi was still mostly asleep and cuddles up against Sasuke. Even though vampires were colder than humans, they were still warmer than room temperature most of the time.

Gliding his fingers along Itachi’s cheek, Sasuke winces slightly at the twinge in his backside. That sadistic little… He takes a breath and shakes his head. No, he’d get Itachi back next time. For now, there was food. “Hey…come on, wake up.” He pats Itachi’s cheek with the back of his hand. “Chouji brought us…” He glances back at the tray. “Breakfast?” What time was it, anyway?

"Breakfast sounds good." His voice was slurred. "Smells even better." Itachi was still clearly half asleep, though slowly rousing.

“Then you might want to get up, or you’ll miss the whipped cream body art.” Sasuke smirks. That should get Itachi up in a hurry.

That certainly got his attention. "Whipped cream body art?" He sits up so fast he almost got whiplash.

“Pfft.” Sasuke covers his mouth as he laughs at the disheveled mess that was his mate. Itachi’s hair was a chaotic mess. “Well, that worked.” He points to the tray laden with food. “Breakfast is here.”

"You tricked me." Itachi shoots him a pout as he sighs and reaches out to eat some of the food. "I forgive you because this is really good though." That and it was hard to be angry with someone when you were still in the middle of an afterglow.

Sasuke chuckles at the adorable expression on Itachi’s face. “Yes, I have a very good cook. And I’ll keep in mind that you like whipped cream.” Maybe he could surprise Itachi later. Whipped cream…maybe some chocolate strawberries.

"Like whipped cream." Itachi nods as he stuffs his face, but he swallows politely before saying anything else. "Like it on you even more though."

This fledgling was going to give him eye strain. “You haven’t seen it on me yet.” Sasuke rolls his eyes at his mate, before reaching for his own plate of food. He does, however, take some pride in eating in a more dignified fashion than Itachi. Meaning…he actually bothers to use the cutlery.

"Mmm well I’ve seen your naked body and whipped cream." So it wasn't a giant leap for him. "So I can easily imagine it on you."

“Hn, cheeky brat.” Sasuke smirks at him, though, as he tucks into his own meal. The food didn’t just smell better than usual, it tasted better too. Which was strange, because Chouji always cooked well. “Grab one of the bottles of bloodwine, would you?” Sasuke reaches for the glasses, placing one of them in front of Itachi.

He nods and reaches for the closest bottle of bloodwine. "Got it." He smiles at Sasuke and kisses his cheek.

“Good.” Sasuke pries the bottle from Itachi’s fingers, uncorking it with a flick of his fingers, and pouring a generous glass for his mate. “Make sure to drink up. You’ll probably need a couple bottles worth.” He knew that he’d taken a lot of Itachi’s blood, and they couldn’t just keep drinking each other’s, they needed to replenish the stock from outside.

"Alright." He does as instructed. "It's not as good as yours." Then again, Itachi doubted anything ever would be again. So this was what it meant to be bloodmates.

“I know. But I took a lot of blood from you, and if I offered you mine…” Well, they’d be right back at square one. And Sasuke didn’t want to make Itachi angry with him again. Not right now. Not when everything seemed so…perfect. “Besides, it’s safer this way.”

Itachi nuzzles him and smiles. "I know. It's not bad though." He finishes his glass as if to prove his point. "If we just keep draining each other, it won't be enough."

“Mhm.” Sasuke leans against Itachi, closing his eyes. “It’s not your fault, though. I’m the one who’s…dangerous.”

"Says the one who will be lucky to walk today." Itachi smirks.

Sasuke glares at his lover, before poking him square in the forehead. “You’re lucky that I humored you, otherwise you’re the one who would be having trouble walking today.”

He grumbles at the forehead poke and rubs the spot that Sasuke had just 'assaulted'. "Promises, promises." Itachi rolls his eyes, but he smiles as he snuggles closer to him.

“Does Kakashi know that you like to cuddle?” Sasuke raises an eyebrow, trying to prevent himself from laughing too quickly. “Because I think that he would be very interested to know that you still snuggle like a baby vampire.”

"That has nothing to do with being a baby vampire and you were plenty cuddly last night!" Itachi growls.

“You cuddled, I let you.” Sasuke rolls his eyes, wrapping an arm around Itachi anyway. “But it’s alright, you can be the cute one between the two of us.”

He shakes his head in disbelief. "How generous of you to accept my cuddling." Itachi chuckles.

“I’m glad you think so.” Sasuke picks at his food, eating a few more bites before pausing again. “…You’re going to hound me to make sure that I drink blood regularly, aren’t you?”

"Mhm. That's what bloodmates do. They look after each other." And fuck each other's brains out, of course. Though it'd probably be crude to say that.

Sasuke grimaces at the thought of gorging himself on blood. “Do you know why I only drink what I need to survive?”

"Kakashi told me." He sighs and kisses his forehead. "Just a healthy amount. I don't expect you to be a ripper."

“I’m not worried about becoming a ripper.” Sasuke closes his eyes, leaning against his mate. “But I know that if I let it get out of hand, I’ll start enjoying it. And I…I have a habit of draining my victims dry.” Post-mortem, of course, but it didn’t make him feel better. “I don’t rip anyone apart or lose my mind, but I do leave a very long trail of bodies. I…don’t want to see that much death again.”

"You can always just drink donated blood, if you're really concerned." Itachi kisses him. "Don't worry so much. I won't let you spiral."

“…Yeah.” He wouldn’t spiral, Itachi wouldn’t let him. “Old habits can be really hard to break, but…I’ll give it my best shot.” And hopefully, the Oni of Edo would never return.


	13. Chapter 13

It had been a while since his personal cellphone had rung, so Kakashi raises an eyebrow as he taps his phone to answer the call. “Hello, Itachi. It’s been over a week since you last called.” Which was strange, because Itachi had called more than once in just the first few days away. “Did something happen? Or have you been busy training with Sasuke?”

"Well I suppose that is one way to put it." Itachi wasn't entirely sure how to explain what had happened to Kakashi. "One might say that it was very intensive training." Mostly endurance training, really. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell the silver haired vampire that Sasuke was his bloodmate, it was just that he was struggling to find a tactful way to say that. A way which wouldn't result in the other vampire demanding to know some of the more intimate details of how such an occurrence came about.

“Very intensive training, huh?” Kakashi wasn’t born yesterday, he could hear the notes of discomfort in his childe’s voice. “Was this of the variety that involves a great deal of unachievable focus, or the kind that involves bruises, bondage, and likely a bed? Though I could certainly see the floor or wall or shower being options as well.”

"A bit of light bondage and a bed." Itachi didn't think bruises were involved. "No bruises that I'm aware of though."

“Oh, then he was gentle with you?” Strange, considering Sasuke’s preferences. But perhaps he simply saw Itachi as someone to be less rough with, on account of their familial ties. Kakashi certainly hadn’t had that luxury, not that he’d needed it. Though he doubted that Itachi required it either.

It was probably best to just let Kakashi assume that Sasuke had been the aggressor. "You could say that." For Sasuke's pride. Besides, it didn't matter to Itachi, if his Sire thought he had been the more submissive lover.

“Well, it’s good to hear that the two of you are having fun. Has he shown you the library yet? It’s quite the impressive collection. I barely got ten bookcases in while I was still with him.” And those had been a hard ten bookcases. They were huge and stuffed to the brim with documents. Kakashi couldn’t understand how Sasuke could possibly have read nearly all of them, and multiple times, at that.

"Yes, he's shown me the library." It was massive to say the least. Though Itachi was surprised that Kakashi was just leaving it at that. "He really is over four hundred years old to have read all that."

Yes, he certainly was, it was a massive collection. “Good…good…” Kakashi nods approvingly. “Has he shown you the erotica section yet? There’s a whole bookcase filled with sex manuals from all over the world. And he’s even got an almost two thousand year old copy of the Kama Sutra.”

Vicarious pervert. "I haven't explored that section of the library yet, but I prefer doing such things to reading about them anyway." There that should give him the bone he was looking for.

“Yes, I’m sure that you do.” Kakashi knew Itachi, and the dancing around that had to be done with him was most amusing. “And I’m sure that Sasuke has been quite the thorough teacher. And you, the thorough charmer, to have gotten into his bed when he’s adamantly against taking immortals as lovers.”

"I suppose you could say it runs in the family." He'd be lucky, if Kakashi didn't try to set up cameras in Sasuke's bedroom at this rate.

Kakashi chuckles. “Yes, it seems that there are many things that ‘run in the family’.” And, of course, family shouldn’t keep too many secrets from each other. “Did you know that there is a special room beneath the library? Sasuke calls it the Moon Room.”

Itachi was glad they were on the phone. "Yes, he showed it to me." Thoroughly enough that Itachi was now blushing.

“Is that so…?” Kakashi heard the slight tremor in Itachi’s voice, and it made him wonder if maybe…just maybe his instincts had been right. Itachi had, after all, confessed that Sasuke blood tasted better than his own. So, maybe… “Did you make love in the Moon Room?”

"It sounds almost comical when you say it that way." In reality, it had been anything, but lighthearted. There had been some playful teasing, but it had be far too intense to describe it as a funny experience. "Though, that is accurate."

“I see…” That was a relief, and something that Kakashi had been hoping to see happen for many, many years. Decades… Centuries, really. “Then, would you like me to have some more of your things sent over? I can keep them stored here if you like, but…I don’t envision that you’ll be leaving the estate any time soon.”

Well it couldn't hurt. "That would be appreciated." They were bloodmates. Itachi couldn't imagine Sasuke was going to try to send him away now.

“Alright.” Kakashi grows quiet for a moment, a million questions in mind. But which to ask… “Has Sasuke…found a reason to live, now?” Was Itachi enough to make Sasuke stop his fast? Enough to make Sasuke open his heart again, even if just a little? See a light in the centuries of darkness he’d wrapped himself in?

"I hope he has." Itachi worried that it might have been too late, but Sasuke had certainly seemed to enjoy their time together, despite his protests at the positioning.

“Well, that’s a start.” Kakashi sits back, eyes sliding shut. “You might be the only one who can keep him sane from here on out.” Because he knew very well what making love in the Moon Room meant. “I tried. Indra tried, and now…it’s your turn. And I hope that you have the success that neither his Sire or his childe could find. I had a feeling that the two of you might be compatible, but it feels good to have confirmation that Sasuke does have someone who will love him like no other.”

The younger vampire shakes his head in amusement. "Who knew that the world's biggest pervert was such a romantic?" Though his words were having an impact on Itachi. Sasuke's life might quite literally be in his hands.

“Itachi!”

Kakashi perks up at the sound of Sasuke’s voice filtering faintly through the phone, sounding stronger than it had in a long time. And THAT makes him smile. “It seems that your mate is calling for you.” Besides, he wasn’t the world’s biggest pervert. Naruto’s grand-sire could take that title.

"Yes, it would seem so." Itachi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Coming!" He shakes his head and smiles into the phone. "I'll talk to you later. For a vampire of his age, he can be impatient at times." With that, Itachi hangs up and swiftly heads back to Sasuke.

Sasuke was waiting for Itachi out in the foyer, fully dressed and dried after their long…and very sexy shower. Of course, they were going to need another one later, once they were done, but Sasuke didn’t mind. After all, they’d been complacent for a week, spending almost the entire time down in the Moon Room, only leaving the confines a handful of times in order to bathe. But now, it was time to get back to work, and Sasuke was determined to have Itachi master the basic lessons as quickly as possible.

Itachi smiles at him and wraps his arms around Sasuke's neck. "Well you look rather determined, but you're still dressed. So I'm not entirely sure that bodes well for me?" What did his mate look so resolved for?

Sasuke rolls his eyes and pecks Itachi on the lips. “You need to get back to training, which means that I need to get back to teaching you. And unless you’ve been practicing meditation whenever I’ve been asleep, I doubt that you’ve been focused on much more than fucking my brains out the last few days.”

“Well not particularly, no." Itachi smiles and kisses his forehead. "Though I believe that counted as endurance training, if nothing else." Sasuke had lost most of the people he'd ever loved. Itachi should have seen this coming. "I don't mind formal training though." So he'd indulge his lover in this and well, it would probably be good be taught by Sasuke in this regard.

“Good, because since you’ve been training your endurance so hard, and have the attention span of a goldfish when meditation comes up, I’ve decided on something that should burn off most of that energy so that maybe you can meditate once you’re tired.” Sasuke had spent a whole night coming up with this exercise, and it combined several of the principles that he’d been taught as a child.

Suddenly, Itachi feels a sense of dread. "And what did you come up with?" Goodness only knows what the brilliant ninja had devised.

Sasuke smirks. “Well, since you’re a vampire, you’ll be better at this than a human without training would be. So I’ve decided to make a game for you.” Something that would hopefully keep the fledgling’s attention. “We’re going to play hide and go seek.”

"That doesn't seem terribly difficult." Probably just an eccentricity of Sasuke's brought on by his age.

Oh…the ignorance of a fledgling. “You say that now.” Sasuke slips from Itachi’s embrace and makes for the doors. “We’ll be ‘playing’ it outside.” And now that the sun was setting, it would be all the easier to disappear. “When I say go, you’ll have half an hour to find me, before we start again. Each time you either succeed or fail, we’ll switch, and I will have ten minutes to find you. With each success, the time allotment will be reduced by ten percent. Understand?”

"Yes, I believe so." He wanted Itachi to find him. So he would. "What do I get if I find you?" The other vampire smiles at his mate.

“Three less minutes to find me next time.” Sasuke smirks. “And maybe a pat on the head. But let’s not put the cart before the horse. Your meditation training was supposed to feed into this, make it easier for you to find me.” Or possible, really. “First, let’s see if you can actually find me before the fifth try.”

"I love you, but you can be so cocky." Itachi nods at him in consent though. "I will always find you."

Sasuke chuckles. “We’ll see about that.” And as the sun sinks below the tree line, bathing the estate in shadows, Sasuke flicks Itachi in the forehead, before disappearing into the growing darkness.

What was with the forehead poking? "Over seventy years old and I’m playing Hide and Seek." Itachi chuckles at the absurdity of the situation and races off to find Sasuke.

* * *

 

Twenty-five minutes in, Sasuke smirks from the shadows as he keeps an eye on Itachi. His mate was only fifty meters from him, but didn’t seem to have a clue which direction to try searching in. He’d let the fledgling get this close, just to see if he’d learned anything from his meditation lessons. He wasn’t counting on it, but he was hoping that something sunk in, since there was no way that Itachi would be able to see him, taste, touch, smell, or hear him. He’d have to rely on his other senses, including his intuition, his instincts.

He stops and as his head surveys his surroundings. Sasuke wouldn't make a noise. That much was obvious. There was always the chance that he might be able to sniff him out, but Itachi was sure that Sasuke had taken countermeasures against that sort of thing happening.

The time was ticking down, and Sasuke was counting the seconds. Itachi was fairly quiet when he wanted to be, but his footsteps were still heavier than Sasuke’s, and his taller, slightly broader frame made him stick out a bit more. That, and he wasn’t quite as fond of black as Sasuke was, the grays and dark blues sticking out against the greens and browns of nature in the darkness.

He had to be nearby. Itachi was almost certain he wouldn't have run to the other side of the estate. "Alright…" He starts looking behind some trees. He had to start thinking like an older vampire.

Three minutes left. Sasuke looks down at Itachi as the young vampire scans the forest floor for him, completely oblivious to his place high in the trees. He was concealed by intertwined leafy branches, peering out at Itachi with just two dark eyes.

"Damn it." He was running out of time.

Two minutes…one minute… It was rather amusing to see Itachi growing frustrated, but it also frustrated Sasuke a little that the lessons hadn’t really sunk in yet. But he’d focus on the amusement for now, after all, he hadn’t been the most patient student, himself.

Three…two…one… Sasuke smirks as he draws his chokuto, leaping silently from the trees, and landing directly behind Itachi, lifting his blade up to his lover’s neck. “A cute try. But remember that this exercise isn’t only about finding me, but concealing your own movements from me as well.”

"Do I need you to fuck you into the mattress again to prove that I am not cute?" Because he would enjoy that. "If that's what you require, I will. Though your instruction has been duly noted." Itachi doesn't flinch at the blade. Sasuke wouldn't kill his bloodmate.

“Hn. I doubt that it’ll be you doing the fucking this time.” Sasuke withdraws his blade, sheathing it again. “How about this for incentive. Fail two more times, and you’ll be the one unable to walk for the next week. At least then, it might inspire you to take your meditation lessons seriously.”

And with that, he disappears once more, ready for Round Two.

* * *

 

A couple of hours later, Itachi was growing more and more frustrated. It was almost impossible to find the other vampire. He was too skilled at hiding away. His ninja training and centuries as a vampire gave him quite the unfair advantage in the younger vampire's opinion. This time though, things would be different.

Sasuke had disappeared again, putting quite a bit of distance between them, before vanishing entirely from sensory range. After all, this was easy to see as a game, but he had still designed it with training in mind. And Sasuke hadn’t gotten THAT rusty during his decades of inactivity.

"He's staying out of range." That had to be it. Though where would he go?

He continues traveling for awhile until he saw something black in one of the trees. Black like Sasuke's eyes. So immediately Itachi kicks the tree, trying to shake his lover down from there. "I found you!" Finally! He had finally found him.

Out of the tree falls a pair of shining black stones, still pressed into little rings of bark that had once been attached to the tree. From a distance, Sasuke rolls his eyes behind his darkened mask. Itachi was really…not very subtle when he got frustrated. And he fell right for the trap. “Come on, Itachi…remember the meditation lesson…” If he tried hard enough, he should be able to just…sense Sasuke. There was no need for kicking tress.

Itachi sighs in frustration as he tries to do the meditation. He needed to find Sasuke and he had tried everything else. And it was something that Sasuke kept telling him to do. There had to be a reason for that.

One breath in, one breath out. The principle was that if the mind became calm and quiet, the world around you would become loud and chaotic. Everything else becomes magnified as your own presence diminishes. And this was the principle that Sasuke had tried to teach Itachi, not with words, but through experiencing it. All of nature had a sound, a smell, a texture, a taste, and its own unique appearance. One just had to attune themselves to the world in order to find it.

The taste of dark chocolate in the air. "There!" Itachi rushes towards the source of the aroma as fast as he could, Sasuke, and ends up haphazardly pinning him to the ground. "I really don't like playing Hide and Go Seek as an adult, but I finally won."

“Good.” Sasuke takes a short breath, then blows his bangs out of his eyes. “You’re starting to understand the lesson. You sensed me once you sat down, shut up, and stopped getting distracted.” Not that he’d really been trying hard to conceal his presence, but still. “Once you master the skill, you won’t even need to hear me. You’ll just be able to feel me. Everyone, living and undead, gives off energy. The point is to be able to sense that energy, even if your opponent has concealed themselves.”

He shakes his head and kisses him. "I know it's an important skill, but it is not enjoyable to learn." Itachi smiles at him.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, breaking Itachi’s grip and rolling them over, settling himself on Itachi’s chest. “Yes. Just imagine my father’s frustration when he was trying to teach an impulsive, impatient, eight-year old me to meditate. It nearly drove him to drink.”

"He must have had the patience of a saint." Itachi chuckles at the image.

“More like the patience of a ninja. We’ll wait forever for our target, if we have to. Or pursue them forever.” There was just a certain determination that they were all born with. Though Sasuke doubted that it was something meant to transfer over into a vampiric life. “Never underestimate an Uchiha, right?”

He smiles at his Mate slyly. "Oh believe me, I never do." Itachi flips them and kisses the other vampire's cheek, affectionately brushing a stray bang behind his lover's ear.

Sasuke chuckles, shaking his head and tilting it to the side, exposing his neck. He glances at Itachi from the corner of his eye, a smirk quirking his lips. “Itachi Uchiha…it’s got a good ring to it.”

Itachi bows his head, licking the exposed skin, and nips lightly. "I'm glad that you like it." It was easy to savor the taste of Sasuke’s rich blood.

“Of course I do.” Sasuke’s eyelids lower a fraction as he runs a hand through Itachi’s long, silky hair. “There’s a lot to like about you.”

"I'm glad you think so." Itachi licks his neck soothingly. "Seeing as I'm your bloodmate, you're kinda stuck with me."

“Yes…” Sasuke’s fingers stop, his mind drifting a little. “It’s…a strange thing to think about.” Just a couple of weeks ago, he never would have imagined that Kakashi’s first phone call to him in decades would lead to…this.

Itachi looks down at him, his eyes dancing with mirth. "We do need to work on your romantic declarations a bit." He couldn't resist teasing Sasuke.

The older vampire shoots his mate a flat look. “That wasn’t a romantic declaration. Trust me, when I make an effort to be romantic, you’ll know it.” He just didn’t try to do it all the time, that would be exhausting.

"I know." Itachi smiles at him. "I just like teasing you." Seeing him sulk was priceless.

“Yes, so I see.” Sasuke rolls his eyes, hooking his legs around Itachi’s and rolling his mate onto his back, seizing Itachi’s wrists in one hand and pinning him firmly against the grass. “But being teased in such a fashion makes me want to return the favor.” His free hand caresses Itachi’s cheek, before taking hold of his chin and tilting his head back, exposing the pale throat for him. “Would you like that?”

"I think I would." The other vampire looks up at him with smoldering eyes. "I like it when I have your attention completely to myself. I'm selfish that way."

“Then go ahead and be as selfish as you like.” Sasuke smiles against Itachi’s throat, kissing it gently. “I have no problem with indulging you.” He kisses a little harder, licking softly to sensitize the skin. “You…are something very precious, and deserve to be treated as such.” He sinks his fangs slowly into Itachi’s skin, the sweet taste of blood spilling across his tongue.

Itachi sighs in pleasure at the bite and the lavish praise. "You were right about your declarations." He really did know it when Sasuke was being romantic and so did his cock. He was already getting hard again.

Sasuke detaches himself gently, softly licking up the flowing blood as the wounds close. “Of course I was. And you should know…I haven’t made such declarations in over three and a half centuries. You are…the first in a very long time to touch my heart, even a little.” And right now, Itachi was slowly filling the vast void within him. So the least he could do was fill him with the appropriate pleasure.

"I'm very fortunate then." He knew that Sasuke was speaking of that girl that Indra had written about. Itachi felt an irrational prickle of jealousy over a woman who was long since dead. Or perhaps it had been one of those few who came not long after. "Though I wish you hadn't stopped." The jealousy fizzles, and he notes that mostly, he felt sad. It had been three and a half centuries since Sasuke had even thought he might be in love. That was horribly depressing.

As Itachi begins to squirm a little, Sasuke’s grip holds him fast. “And where do you think you’re going?” His other hand abandons Itachi’s throat, gliding down to rub at Itachi’s cock.

Itachi groans and relaxes against Sasuke's touches. "Nowhere." Fuck that felt good. Ridiculously good.

“That’s what I thought.” Reaching into Itachi’s pants, Sasuke strokes at the hot, hard erection gently with a calloused hand. “Now, seeing as I’m in control right now, which would you prefer? Do you like my hand, or would you prefer my mouth.” Sasuke was certain that he knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear it anyway. Itachi had been in control far too much for Sasuke’s pride to accept.

"Fuck! That feels good." He was getting hard so quickly that it almost defied the laws of biology. "Your hand feels good. I'd like your mouth more though." There was no point in lying.

“Of course you would.” Sasuke smirks as he removes his hand, pulling it from Itachi’s pants and going for his own, deftly unbuckling one of the belts found there, and pulling it from the loops. “But, seeing as I need to teach you how to be a good boy, I think that a teaching tool is in order.” Without letting Itachi loose for even a moment, Sasuke maneuvers his lovers hands so that he can cross them and bind them tightly together. “Understand?”

"W-What did you have in mind?" It was impossible to guess what the man had in mind. Itachi was stuttering, but he couldn't help it. Sasuke really was that sexy and a little terrifying at the moment.

“Just what your body is asking for.” It was as simple as that as Sasuke slides down Itachi’s pants, letting the heated cock spring into the cool night air. “And don’t worry, I’ll go nice and slow so that you can take notes.”

"You didn't seem to mind my technique earlier." Hmpf! Though it was hard to be smug, when he was already fully erect. Sasuke wouldn't take his taunts seriously when he could see his arousal.

“Hn. You’ll see.” Sasuke grasps the erect cock in a new fashion, running his fingers along the vein on the underside. “You can always learn something new.” And, stretching his thumb to rub at the base of the mushroomed head, his fingers go to work massaging and pressing on the vein near the base, his grip rolling as his fingers clench and unclench one by one like a wave.

It was hard to argue with a man who was playing with your dick so exquisitely. "Well that's true." Whatever, Sasuke could say what he wanted just as long as he didn't stop.

Onyx eyes bleed to ruby red as Sasuke watches Itachi shiver in pleasure. His grip tightens a little as he adds a firm stroking motion, spreading the wave-like pressure to the rest of the turgid shaft, his thumb reaching to massage into the head, dipping into the slit at the tip.

Itachi bucks against his touch desperately. He was probably going to cum before Sasuke even took him inside his mouth at that rate.

Sasuke chuckles softly as he kisses the tip, removing his thumb as he takes it fully into his mouth and throat in a single motion. Red eyes dance with lust and amusement at the squirming, bucking vampire, hands holding Itachi’s hips up as Sasuke’s tongue works the throbbing cock.

"Fuck!" It took all of Itachi's self-control not to cum right then and there. "Don't stop!" Damn it. His bloodmate's mouth was a world wonder.

Well, Sasuke hadn’t been planning on it, but he was kind of tempted to stop and see what Itachi’s reaction would be. Still, he dutifully bobs his head up and down, his tongue sometimes drawing back as he bobbed up, to press into the sensitive slit as he sucked harder.

And when he bobbed back down, he would swallow around Itachi’s cock, the muscles of his throat coming together to squeeze it. He couples the attention with his fingers, moving carefully to cup Itachi’s balls, squeeze them, and roll them in the palm of his hand.

He wanted to last longer, but he couldn't hold back. "Sasuke!" He came hard and fast. It was embarrassing. Sasuke had barely gotten started before Itachi had reached his orgasm.

Sasuke smirks as he swallows, sliding Itachi’s cock out and wiping his lips as he sits up over his lover, his mate. “Practice makes perfect, doesn’t it?” He presses a hand forward, leaning over Itachi as his blushing mate’s similarly red eyes looked up at him. “Satisfied?”

"It'd be hard not to be after that." Itachi pants as he desperately tries to catch his breath.

“Well, I’ll consider it a victory, then, that I made you forget…” He presses a finger to Itachi’s mouth and pinches his nose for a moment. “That you don’t need to breathe.”

He blushes and gives him a dirty look. "It's not a competition." Itachi shakes his head in disbelief as he leans up and kisses him.

“Maybe, but I still found you more times than you found me.” Sasuke kisses back, at the same time, reaching up to undo the belt holding back Itachi’s arms, working open the buckle easily, and tossing the belt away.

"Well you're a professional ninja and I'm not." Itachi glides his tongue over Sasuke's. "So that's not really fair." He smiles.

“It’s not fair, yet, you mean.” Sasuke leans down to rest on top of Itachi. “But I see a lot of potential in you, even if you have the attention span of a koi. Just be glad that I’m using very gentle methods with you. I nearly died a few times during my own training.”

"I do not have the attention span of a goldfish." Itachi sulks at that description. "Those were different times and I’m glad you didn't die. Otherwise, I never would have met my bloodmate."

“…” Sasuke’s eyes darken, the red disappearing from them. “No, you would have. Someone else. Someone less…damaged. The odds of finding a second, or a third are low, as low as finding one at all, but not impossible.”

"I don't mind that you're damaged." Itachi shakes his head and caresses his mate’s cheek. "It's a rare vampire or person that isn't. Life is a contact sport."

“Hn. Life is a contact sport, huh?” Sasuke could see that. “I’d say in that case, it’s a miracle I’m still breathing, but…” He hadn’t breathed naturally in four hundred and fourteen years. “Well, at least now I have someone to help me deal with the unpleasant after-effects of turning into a vampire.”

"I don't know, I'd say it's been a largely pleasant experience overall and even better since we started having more…contact." Itachi smiles at him.

“Well, good.” Sasuke smirks as a flicker of red returns to his eyes. “Because after you’re done with three hours of meditation, I’ll be waiting for you in the bath.” He presses his hands to the ground, pushing himself up and over Itachi’s head, and landing on his feet. “Then you can return the favor.”

"Three hours?!" That wasn't fair! "You can't be serious!" He had to wait three hours to get past the foreplay stage?

“Don’t worry.” Sasuke glances back at his mate as he leans lightly against a tree. “I’ll make sure to keep the bath warm for you until you’re done with your homework.”

"Do I get to smack your ass with a ruler for being an evil tease?" Itachi was two seconds away from huffing.

Sasuke shakes his head, jumping high into the trees. “See you in three hours, Itachi!” That little shit would learn his lessons in patience, whether he wanted to or not.

"Very well then." Itachi sighs. Obviously, this was a battle he was not going to win. So he sits up, closes his eyes, and begins his three hours of meditation.

Two dark eyes, however, remained to watch the young Uchiha at work.


	14. Chapter 14

Finally. Finally, there was some progress being made. Orochimaru was growing impatient, and he almost thought that Anko had betrayed him, what with how long it was taking to even get a preliminary report on the fledgling. Now, though…now, he had information about the youngest Uchiha’s current activities. The boy was training. How…quaint.

After looking through the last of the photographs he had been sent, after all, no vampire could survive long without adapting to a new era’s trends and technologies, he nods approvingly. “Well done, Anko. What is his status now, and when do you expect to be able to bring him to me?”

"It would be next to impossible at the moment." Anko sighs and looks at Orochimaru. "It seems that he's now Sasuke's lover and more than that, I've seen them refer to each other as their bloodmates." Which meant…Sasuke was almost assuredly drinking regularly again and more likely than not, he was drinking Itachi's blood. Vampire blood.

“I see.” An unfortunate complication, but nothing more. Orochimaru was more than a match for Sasuke Uchiha, he knew that. He had four hundred years on the boy, and while he was not nearly as old as Indra, he was plenty older than the whelp. “In that case, it may be to our advantage to utilize this new connection. Sasuke has known much tragedy in his life. If he believes that Itachi is lost to him forever…” Well, it would most assuredly break whatever remained of the ninja’s spirit.

"Lord Orochimaru wouldn't it be better to go after easier prey?" She pauses. "Sasuke is formidable on his own, but targeting them does risk incurring Indra's wrath."

“No one has seen hide nor hair of Indra in decades. He has, as they say, cut the umbilical cord.” Of that, Orochimaru was certain. “Sasuke has been independent of Indra for centuries. In any case, you should have no fear. Even if Sasuke were to retaliate, he has no interest in ‘lackeys’ as he calls them. He would sooner attempt to hunt me down, than trifle with you. If…you were foolish enough to be caught, that is.”

She bites her lower lip and nods. "Yes, Lord Orochimaru." She did not have a good feeling about this.

“Good, then I expect your next report soon.” And hopefully, the Uchiha brat not long after. The anticipation was palpable, Orochimaru could just…taste it.

“Yes, Sir.” She hangs up and heads off on the assignment that she was quite certain as suicidal at this point, but then again, so was defying Orochimaru.

* * *

 

Sasuke waits in the large, wooden bath built into the floor, his eyes closed as he waits and listens, his head pillowed on his arms as he leans against the side of the ‘tub’. It was a good place to do his own meditation, so that was precisely how he was occupying his time as he counted down the seconds until Itachi’s three hours were up. His mate would no doubt race inside as soon as that clock hit zero. And that would be a most…interesting happenstance.

…It was not long before he felt the stirrings at the entrance to the manor. And at the sound of footsteps of vampiric speed, he smirks. “Someone is rather fast when they’re frustrated.” He opens a single ruby eye and scrutinizes his descendant as the door slams open. “Did you finish your whole three hours?”

Silky, usually spiky hair tamped down against his neck by the warm water, curled up and lounging against the side as he was, Sasuke knew precisely what sort of picture of innocence he projected. It was one that he usually had reserved only for his duties, but… Well, it would be amusing to see Itachi’s reaction, to say the least.

"You have the face of an angel, but you're still an evil demon sometimes." Itachi rolls his eyes as he pulls his shirt over his head slowly. Two could play that game. "I finished the three hours though. Three very long and frustrating hours."

Sasuke’s smirk becomes more visible now. “Oh, I know I’m a demon, and most of Edo knew it too. But tell me, did you listen until you could hear no more?” He wouldn’t be taken in by Itachi’s tricks, though the view was still rather nice.

Itachi unzips his pants and slowly begins sliding them off. "Yes, I did exactly as you said." He should bend him over the side of the tub and just give his ancestor the spanking he so thoroughly deserved.

“Then I look forward to seeing you try to describe every single thing you heard.” If Itachi had truly grasped the concept so quickly, then he would likely be listening for several hours. Sasuke doubted that the technique had been learned quite that quickly. “I kept the bath warm, just like I promised.” It was still steaming a little as Sasuke lazily watches his mate strip.

"I prefer it when you use that sarcastic mouth of yours for more pleasurable reasons than to taunt me." Itachi slides out of his boxers and soon joins his Mate in the bath.

“Is that so?” Sasuke shakes his head, then presses a kiss to Itachi’s lips. “Then try being less amusing to tease, and maybe I’ll get bored of it.” Itachi nips his tongue lightly in retaliation as he sucks on it, savoring the taste of Sasuke's bittersweet blood.

Sasuke chuckles, leaning over to press Itachi against the side of the bath. “Someone’s feeling frisky.” He reaches a hand into the water, smirking as he discovers just how much so. “How…sweet.” He squeezes the hardened flesh in his hand, stroking it firmly as he presses kisses to Itachi’s neck. He sinks his fangs into Itachi’s skin, purging the taste of his own blood from his mouth with Itachi’s.

"You left me alone for three hours." Itachi groans as he bucks into Sasuke's touch and he tilts his head to the side. "Of course, I want your touch. You were an evil tease." Not at all worried about exposing his neck to the other vampire.

Humming appreciatively, Sasuke sinks his fangs deeper into his one source of blood, taking in several long draughts of it, before lapping up the scattered drops. “I tease because you make it easy, because it’s amusing, because it passes the time.” His fingers dance along Itachi’s length, rubbing the skin in and out of place as he massages it with a practiced hand. “But you had best get used to long hours without me, you still need to train. And while you do, I will be sure to restrain myself.”

"It was more that you got me wound up and left me." He wasn't that dependent. "I want to be near you, but I understand that's not always an option." He sighs in pleasure at the gentle stroking and the feeling of Sasuke's teeth over his skin.

“And I’m sorry for that, but there’s just a lot to teach you. A crash course seemed…a requirement.” Sasuke’s red eyes flicker back up to Itachi’s, and he raises a hand to run it through soft black strands, now damp with the steam, the ends floating and swirling in the hot water. “Though I suppose that winding you up like that was a little cruel. Maybe…I should make it up to you.”

Itachi nods his head sagely. "Yes, you should." Damn right, Sasuke should. He had been a sadistic tease. He was entitled to some damn satisfaction.

“Alright, then…” Sasuke was rather glad that breathing was no longer a requirement, otherwise this would be…uncomfortable, at best. And, with a smirk on his face, he backs off and sinks beneath the water, the heat in utter contrast to his normally cool skin. Itachi’s image above the water was just a little on the distorted side, but that was no bother. Not when the goal of Sasuke’s mouth was Itachi’s cock, which he had no compunctions about grazing his fangs against as he took the head into his mouth.

"Fuck!" There were definitely benefits to having a four hundred year old vampire as your lover. "Yes, this is much better than being taunted." He was already fully aroused and it probably wouldn't take long for him to tumble over the edge.

Sasuke couldn’t hear Itachi, but he could read lips well enough, and the words tumbling from Itachi’s mouth had him smirking around the cock in his own mouth. Taking it deeper, he hollows his cheeks, sucking hard and swallowing around the stiff erection, his hands on Itachi’s thighs and holding them apart for his own comfort.

He sighs in pleasure as he threads his fingers through Sasuke's raven tresses. "I think this is probably going to be our version of kissing and making up." It was going to be very hard to stay irritated with the other vampire at this rate.

Chuckling around the length in his mouth, Sasuke makes sure to allow the vibrations to travel right from the tip of Itachi’s cock, lodged deep in his throat, to the base, where his fingers were inching forward, cupping him gently, and rolling the swollen sack in his palm.

"Damn it!" He came with a snarl of pleasure. "The things that you can do with your mouth should probably be illegal, but I don't care."

Once every drop is swallowed, Sasuke rises slowly from the water, drops of an entirely different kind rolling down his body. “I actually do know a few things that are illegal to do. People just don’t know that they’re illegal because the laws haven’t been invoked in centuries.”

Well that sounded interesting. "You certainly have my attention." As Itachi seemed to have Sasuke's. "Do you want me to return the favor?" He reaches a hand down and strokes Sasuke with smooth fingers.

Sasuke rolls his hips against Itachi’s hand, more drops shimmering as they fall down his skin with every ripple. “I don’t know…” What he did know was that Itachi’s hand felt almost as good as his mouth in the water. “I kind of like the idea of bending you over the side of the bath. I’m sure that you’ve had similar thoughts.”

"It crossed my mind to bend you over." He nods at him sagely. "You did deserve a spanking, but as you already apologized, I decided to be lenient."

“Good.” Sasuke smirks as he presses a kiss to Itachi’s lips, plunging his tongue deep into his mate’s mouth as he corners the younger vampire against the wall of the bath. “Because spanking is utterly humiliating, and…I’m horny.” Again. Like usual. Because becoming a vampire meant that all of the repressed emotions he’d had were magnified. And lo and behold…apparently his human self was secretly a nympho. But that didn’t bug him, he’d had four hundred years to come to terms with that bit of misfortune. Well, a misfortune until now.

Itachi smiles at that. "Well I rather like it when you're feeling...shall we say affectionate?" The word horny just seemed…well, amusing to hear Sasuke say. He couldn't imagine calling Sasuke that to his face though.

Affectionate? Really? Rolling his eyes, along with his hips, Sasuke presses their lips together again as he closes the distance and wraps his arms around Itachi’s neck. He tugs on Itachi’s hair pulling his mate’s head back as he gives himself better leverage over Itachi’s larger frame.

Itachi eagerly kisses him back and chuckles at the eye rolling. That was Sasuke for you. Cocky even during sex.

Grinding down, Sasuke could feel Itachi’s flagging arousal coming back to life. So, he grinds down harder, enjoying the friction, even if it’s gone and squished Itachi’s hand between their bodies. “I wonder…what would your ass look like, bent over the side of the bath?”

"Hm…you're a little bit of a perfectionist and controlling, but I don't mind." Itachi smiles as he kisses him. "You can take control. You always make me feel so good." He caresses his cheek, after breaking the kiss. "Whether I'm burying myself inside you or the other way around."

“I’m glad you feel that way.” Finally, it was time to pay Itachi back properly for that week that they spent in bed. “Because we’ll probably be in here for a few hours, since you won’t be able to walk.” And luckily, vampires didn’t wrinkle like prunes in the bath, though Sasuke wasn’t entirely sure why. Probably something about water retention.

Itachi shakes his head and smiles as he extricates himself from Sasuke’s hold, and leans over the side of the tub. "I love you and I’m not concerned about walking." Itachi chances a glance over his shoulder at Sasuke. "Because I know that you'll be the one carrying me around the estate. And you can explain why to our friends...including Aoda."

Sasuke’s smirk widens as he runs a hand up one of Itachi’s thighs. “Well, I’m sure that if I were to fuck you into unconsciousness and needed to carry you around, I could explain easily how that happened. Assuming, of course, that they did catch us between here and my bedroom.” His other hand goes to work kneading the muscles of Itachi’s backside, finding them in desperate need of loosening.

“Someone is feeling rather confident today." Fuck him into unconsciousness? "Though that does feel good." He wondered how serious Sasuke was about that statement.

“Good, because I do hope that you’ll indulge my confidence. After all…” He trails kisses up Itachi’s spine, before nipping at the back of his neck. “I indulged you for the better part of a week.”

Sixty-forty, his ass, more like ninety-ten, at best. Sasuke had barely gotten a word in about how they made love, more often than not just finding himself already in position by the time it became clear what was going on. It was mostly a blur, really. A blur that his ass most certainly remembered as he uses the warm water to relax Itachi’s entrance as the first of his fingers wiggles slowly inside.

Itachi sighs in pleasure at the kisses. "There's very little that I wouldn't indulge you in." That felt nice. "You're my bloodmate."

“…Yes…I am.” Though Sasuke was fairly certain that Itachi had only scratched the surface in his understanding of just what that meant. For now, though, he’d focus on his mate, his wonderful, beautiful mate…the one who was making life look just a little more worth living. And that meant thorough stretching as he wiggles his finger in further, because Sasuke was…not small.

Itachi tenses slightly, but soon relaxes. While he had been more aggressive with Sasuke than most of his lovers, that was mostly because of their age difference. "It's alright. It doesn't hurt." He didn't want Sasuke to view him as a child, but he didn't mind being the more accommodating lover.

“Good.” Deciding that it was because of the change in positions, Sasuke reaches a little further, slowly sliding in a second finger as he rubs firmly against the soft, muscular insides.

Itachi knew that Sasuke was trying to take his time with him and the younger vampire didn't mind that. he was more than prepared to wait. "Ah! Fuck!" That was until Sasuke touched that spot inside him that made him see stars.

“There it is…” Sasuke smiles…rather affectionately as he rubs that spot firmly. “Good, because I’m not in the mood to play Hide and Seek.” So he slips a third finger in, sneaking the fourth along with it as he stretches Itachi wide open, increasing the pressure on the gland bit by bit.

Itachi moans and arches back against his lover. He was teasing that spot and driving him half insane with desire. It almost wasn't fair.

“I love it when you moan for me…” Satisfied with the reaction, and confident that he wouldn’t hurt Itachi, Sasuke withdraws his fingers in an instant, sheathing himself immediately within his mate. “Nngh…Though it takes third place behind this.”

"Feels so fucking good." The vampire hisses in pleasure as he writhes underneath Sasuke and against the bathtub, lost in pleasure.

“Nghm.” Sasuke braces himself against the side of the bath, his arms encircling Itachi, caging him in as Sasuke leans down to press his chest to his mate’s back. “So good…” He goes about peppering Itachi’s neck with kisses as he thrusts forward suddenly, kick-starting a rapid, powerful pace.

He could feel him everywhere. The surprising warmth of his chest against his own back and his cock buried deep inside him. "S-Sasuke!" Always striking that spot that made him want to scream. So that's what he did.

Sasuke’s hands find Itachi’s, lacing their fingers together as he thrust hard into his mate, feeling his release soon approaching. “Mine.” His fangs graze along Itachi’s neck. “Mine…” He licks his favorite spot long and slow, unlike the quick snapping of his hips, and then plunges his fangs into Itachi’s neck, the sweet taste of chocolate and spices making his tongue tingle and his possessive instinct tremble.

"Yes!" Itachi was barely coherent at this point, but he didn't care about that. "Always." Just as long as Sasuke didn't stop because he was hurtling towards another orgasm and he knew that it was going to be glorious

As the pleasure races up his cock, Sasuke slams into Itachi’s sweet spot, his release begging to be shot into his lover, his precious Itachi… “Cum for me, Itachi.” Stringing words together was hard, but he would manage it. “Scream my name…as we go together.” He could sense Itachi’s pleasure, it was so thick in the air that it was nearly tangible. And Sasuke loved the taste of it.

He had absolutely no qualms with complying with the other man's requests. "SASUKE!" Itachi scarcely recognized the sound of his own voice as he screams Sasuke's name and his release shatters through him. Almost overwhelming in its intensity.

“Itachi!” Sasuke’s grip tightens, all of his muscles tightening as his body rocks with a powerful orgasm. Itachi’s voice rings in his ears, letting in no other sound, not even that of his own voice. He rides out the orgasm slowly, feeling his cock soften as he pulls it out inch by inch.

"Fuck." Itachi pants as he tries desperately to catch the breath that he didn't actually need.

“Fuck…” Sasuke could definitely agree to that. He wasn’t panting, but it amused him that Itachi was. “Well…” He nuzzles along Itachi’s neck, smiling into the sun-kissed skin. “That was fun…”

"Mhm." Itachi sighs in contentment. "Very fun." He certainly had a rather gifted lover.

Sasuke smirks as one of his hands travels back to his own cock, stroking it gently, but with increasing firmness, as it increased in…firmness. It would take him several minutes, at least, but he hadn’t been lying earlier. Itachi wasn’t going to be able to walk by the end of the night. He bites Itachi’s ear, though not hard enough to draw blood as he growls softly. “Ready for round two? I do have a promise to keep, after all.”

"You're a bit of an animal." Itachi shakes his head in amusement at Sasuke as he kisses him. "Which is probably one of the reasons why I love you. Alright."

Sasuke should probably be offended by being called an animal, but to be fair, he wore a hawk’s mask, and kept a dragon as a pet. He was hardly normal to begin with. “I love you too.” He kisses back with all of the fire and passion that Itachi had painstakingly managed to rekindle in his soul. “So…so…much…”

"Then prove it." Itachi smiles slyly at him. "I believe you said something about making love to me until I was unconscious?"

“Yes…I believe that I did.” And it was a promise that Sasuke was very much looking forward to keeping. “Try to stay awake, I like a challenge.”

“That sounds promising." Itachi smirks.

Oh, it was…it most definitely was…

* * *

 

Jugo shakes his head. "No, Suigetsu." He wouldn't allow it because Sasuke would kill him. "You're not planning bachelor parties for them in advance." The merman now knew that Itachi and Sasuke were Mates and as usual, he wanted to cause some mischief.

“Aw, come on. You know as well as I do that they’re joined at the hip.” And probably a few other places, too. “Besides, it’s been ages since Sassy had some real fun.” And Suigetsu was determined to at least make sure that Sasuke had some amusement once in a while. His friend was NOT going to stay one of those boring old ancient vampires. Not with a modern baby vamp for a mate.

"I don't know who would kill you first, if you did it." Jugo shakes his head. "Itachi in a jealous rage or Sasuke in an annoyed one." Either way, it wouldn't be pretty.

“Pfft, Sassy likes me too much to kill me, and I’m more than a match for a baby bloodsucker.” Honestly, it felt like Jugo had absolutely no faith in him. “But fine, whatever. If you wanna keep the kid from getting jealous, you can do that. But it’s gonna happen sooner or later.” After all, Sasuke was never short on offers, and Suigetsu was pretty sure Itachi would go ballistic on some poor human if they hit on Sasuke in a less…controlled setting.

Karin shakes her head as though she couldn't believe how reckless her mate was being. "You know, they're going to wreck that pretty face of yours." The half succubus sighs. "Probably will have to take you to a healer to get it fixed."

Suigetsu rolls his eyes at his sexy redhead. “Well, at least you admit that my face is pretty.” Getting any sort of compliment out of her was a crusade in itself. And the merman didn’t have time for that shit. Not when he was too busy feeding her.

"Course it is." She kisses his cheek. "After all, you didn't think that a succubus would be mated to an ugly person, did you?" She giggles at he thought.

Of course, all about her, like always. The merman rolls his eyes once more, before cupping Karin’s chin and none too gently locking their lips together.

Such was the sight that one curious dragon poked his head through the hedges to see.

Jugo's eyes widen in surprise as he sees the dragon. "Gods and goddesses!" He points towards it. "Karin, Suigetsu! A dragon!" He'd never thought he'd actually see one.

Aoda bobs his head towards the three human-like creatures that smelled of Master Sasuke. “Hello.”

Karin stares in shock. "It really is a dragon!" And it apparently could talk. "Hello?" What did one say to a dragon, anyway?

“Yeah, yeah, it’s a dragon, great.” Suigetsu rolls his eyes, disappointed that Karin was so easily distracted from making out. “We’ve got plenty of them underwater.” They weren’t THAT big a deal. Hell, sometimes merpeople even ate them.

She swats Suigetsu. "Why didn't you ever tell me that?!" Dragons were amazing! He should have told her there were dragons where he came from.

“OWE! Goddamn, woman! It’s not my fault you never asked about the giant sea monsters!” How was this his fault at all? “There’s like a billion of them in the Sea of Japan!”

Aoda nods unhappily. “Yes, I have many cousins in the ocean. They have always been hard for the humans to hunt.” On land, though, the dragons had been hunted nearly to extinction centuries ago.

"How has no one realized that there are that many underwater dragons around?" She blinks at the thought and hugs the mournful Aoda. "It's alright."

Aoda hums happily as Karin’s arms reach halfway around his snout. “I like this one. But do not be sad, Lady. Master Sasuke has always been good to me. That is why I come to tell him of the bad smell in the forest.”

"The bad smell?" Jugo looks at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

“Did someone drop something in the bamboo grove?” Suigetsu cringes. “Sasuke isn’t gonna like that…”

“No, it smells like vampire, and death, and rotting scales.” It was a smell that Aoda really didn’t like. Master Sasuke smelled much better. So did Master Itachi. “I’ve never smelled such a thing before.”

"Rotting scales?" Karin blinks. "That sounds pretty bad. We should probably break up the love nest."

Suigetsu stares at his lover incredulously. “Are you insane? You want to tear those two away from each other right now?” He was pretty sure that he knew what those two were up to in the bath. “You’re crazy!”

"It'll be even worse, if we don't tell Sasuke something is going on." Karin sighs and shakes her head. "And you know it." They all knew what Sasuke's temper was like.

“Alright, alright” Suigetsu holds his hands up in surrender. “Then let the dragon do it. He might be less pissed than if one of us interrupted his sexy time with the baby vamp.”

"Yeah." Jugo looks at Aoda, hoping the Dragon wouldn't mind taking pity on them. "Do you think you could?"

That dragon bobs his scaly head. “I will inform Master Sasuke.” After all, he could smell the vampire from here, and could track him and his little mate down easily enough. And while Aoda preferred being outdoors, Sasuke had long since extended an invitation for Aoda to come inside the manor. He had just never had cause to make use of the dragon door built into the back of the massive house.

It seemed that that was about to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celestia193's Author's Note: And another instance of the story earning its E rating!


	15. Chapter 15

“Master Sasuke. Master Itachi.” To say that Sasuke was surprised to see his dragon curled up on the floor of his gigantic bedroom was an understatement. “I come with news.”

Sasuke blinks, slowly stepping around Aoda, and heading for the closet. After all, he needed something more to wear than just a towel. Well, okay, he didn’t, but he also didn’t want Itachi to get jealous because he started parading around naked where anyone could see him. “Alright, what is it?”

The dragon growls slightly. “There was a bad smell in the forest.”

Itachi chuckles at that. "Well I imagine that there are bad smells in the forest from time to time." Probably a skunk or something of that nature."

Sasuke narrows his eyes as he pulls on his clothes behind a thin screen. “What kind of smell, Aoda?” Maybe it was nothing, but if Aoda felt like bringing it up, Sasuke would look into it.

“Like vampire, death, and rotting scales, Master Sasuke.” Aoda’s wings flutter against his scaly body. “I have smelled nothing like it before…”

Sasuke freezes, his blood turning to ice. “You’re sure?”

“Yes, Master Sasuke. It was quite strange.” And Aoda didn’t like it. He really didn’t like it.

That sounded a lot more serious than just a skunk. Itachi frowns at that thought. They clearly had to do something and quickly. What the Hell had been lurking around in the forest?

Sasuke emerges from behind the screen, dressed entirely in black, with a single belt wrapped around his hips. Buckles adorn the dark leather waiting for a weapon’s sheath. “Itachi, no matter what you may hear, I want you to stay in this room.”

"Sasuke." He couldn't be serious. "Are you sure?" That sounded ominous. He couldn't imagine doing nothing if Sasuke needed help.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Sasuke reaches to the sword rack on the wall, taking down his chokuto, and pulling it six inches from its sheath, checking the blade. As usual, it was perfect. “It might be nothing, but in the worst case scenario…well, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Itachi wanted to point out that he was a sitting duck anyway, if whatever this was managed to get past Sasuke. "Alright." But he didn't.

“Good.” Sasuke re-sheathes the blade and attaches it to his belt. “Jugo, Suigetsu, and Karin are here in case something goes wrong. It shouldn’t, but it never hurts to be prepared.” That man wouldn’t actually be stupid enough to come here and fight Sasuke on his own soil, would he? “…You should sit here and meditate.”

"Sasuke, I love you, but you're out of your mind if you think I'm going to meditate at the moment." Itachi sighs as he kisses him. "Good luck. Stay safe."

While he accepts the kiss, Sasuke sighs impatiently, running his fingers through Itachi’s hair. “Just…please, do as I say. I’ll be back soon.” As soon as he found the snake that had trespassed on his domain. To that end, Sasuke takes a step back, becoming little more than a blur as he disappears from sight.

He slams his fist into the wall. "All that training is useless." Itachi was actually expected to sit here while Sasuke ran off to deal with something that was bad enough to worry a dragon?

Aoda rumbles softly, trying to comfort the young vampire. “Master Sasuke only wishes for you to be aware of your surroundings. It is a skill that will allow you to know when you are in danger, and where those around you are. He is attempting to train your instincts to know all that lies around you.”

"I understand that Aoda." Great. Now he was throwing a temper tantrum in front of a dragon. "It does me almost no good in this situation though." He was still pathetically weak compared to Sasuke. Time was just not on his side.

“I see…” Aoda’s eyes travel across the room, falling on the weapons rack in the corner. “You’ve trained a little with blades. Show me what you can do. I have watched Master Sasuke practice many times. Perhaps I can help you to improve?”

The dragon was trying to babysit him. "I'm not really sure if now is the best time, I'm honored by the offer but…" Yeah. He had to keep his senses alert. Something major was going on. Target practice wasn't a good idea.

Aoda hums happily. “If anything should approach this room that does not smell like Master Sasuke, I will eat them for you.”

"Um…yes, I appreciate that Aoda." He pats the guard dragon on the head.

“Good, now, take up one of Master Sasuke’s katana and practice. My nose will keep you safe.” And Aoda had always been very proud of the nose he had relied upon for so long. It hadn’t failed him yet.

The dragon was so nice, Itachi didn't have it in him to snap at the poor thing. "Alright." He didn't want to practice with his katana at the moment, but he decides to humor Aoda by picking it up.

“Now, defend yourself.” Aoda’s scaly tail flicks through the air, poking at Itachi’s chest. “Or I will knock you over.”

A dragon was acting like a mother hen, a guard dog, and a babysitter all rolled into one. "Alright." He uses the sword to 'defend' himself.

Aoda’s rumbling ‘laugh’ echoes deep in the dragon’s chest as he duels, katana on scaly tail, with the fledgling. And slowly, ever so slowly, the speed and variety of attacks begin to increase. This was, after all, one of Sasuke’s favorite partner training methods. And for good reason. Aoda was a natural tail-fighter.

* * *

 

“I am waiting for the right moment to strike, Lord Orochimaru.” Anko hated making these reports, especially since Orochimaru was getting impatient. For a vampire so old, the man did not have a great deal of patience. Or tolerance for failure. “The Uchiha seems to be suspicious, and the target hasn’t emerged from the estate even once.” And going in would be pointless, as she would no doubt be caught while their guards were this high. “But I’m close to having him.” She just needed to avoid the older vampire in the process.

"I should have foreseen this." Of course Sasuke would be protective of the bloodmate he had waited centuries to find. "My patience is not indefinite Anko. Do not fail me."

“Then I will do my best not to die.” After all, a lifeless corpse could hardly make any sort of delivery. And honestly, Anko had already died once, and she was not looking forward to repeating that. “I will report again in a week, or if I capture him.” Whichever came first.”

He nods at that. "Excellent. I look forward to it." With that being said, she hears a click. Orochimaru had hung up on her.

It wasn’t the first time that she’d felt utterly unappreciated. She was far from the only vampire under Orochimaru’s control, but with her every thought being of rebellion, it was no wonder that she often received more dangerous assignments than the others. Here, one wrong move could spell her doom. For even if the oni wasn’t at full strength, his skills alone might prove enough to be her downfall.

No, she had to plan and be careful. This was not a fledgling to abduct carelessly.

* * *

 

Nothing. There was nothing out there, save for some faint tracks that seemed to disappear into thin air, and no extra presence to be found. Whoever it was…they were cautious and sneaky. Those were the opponents that Sasuke hated most. It meant that at best, the battle was a circular one, unless one person’s skills severely outmatched the other’s, or it would become a game of cat and mouse that could go on for…conceivably, forever, if his opponent was truly a vampire.

And, of course, there was only so long that Sasuke was willing to leave Itachi alone. During the day, it was fine. Most vampires, hell, most supernaturals preferred to work at night, himself included. But at night…that’s when it was best to be close to Itachi.

If it was Orochimaru, then it was almost certain that he would try to strike at night. He was very much the traditional vampire. And as the sun begins to set, Sasuke flits back inside the estate, slightly fatigued from fruitless efforts at tracking the untrackable.

He sighs as he returns to his room, finding Itachi in there, a sword from the weapons rack laying next to him as his mate sits back against Aoda. “…Did you really get talked into training by a dragon?”

"Well he was rather insistent about it." Itachi looks up at Sasuke. "Dragon Puppy Eyes are apparently a thing." Something that he had only recently discovered.

Despite his frustration, Sasuke smiles. “Yeah, they’re a thing. I probably should have warned you about that, but I can’t say I’m displeased with the results.” Because judging by the slightly disheveled mess that was Itachi’s hair, they’d been at it for hours “Aoda is really just a golden retriever in a dragon’s body.”

"That's good." He glances at Aoda. "Can you retrieve some handcuffs because I’m not letting Sasuke pull a stunt like that again." He had been worried sick about his bloodmate and Sasuke looked…well, normal. Tired, but normal.

Aoda rumbles amusedly. “I doubt there are a pair of handcuffs in the world that could hold Master Sasuke.”

Sasuke smirks smugly. “Damn right.”

“However, there should be chains underneath the bed, should you wish to mount him and couple.” And for that, Sasuke shoots the dragon a dirty look.

"That might be useful knowledge in the future, but I doubt Sasuke feels up to coupling." Itachi shakes his head in amusement. "You look exhausted."

Sighing, Sasuke strides over to his bed, pulling back the curtain hanging between the half moon shaped arches. “Snakes like to hide in the grass when they sense someone nearby, looking to stamp them out. I found tracks, and searched five kilometers out from the estate in every direction. Nothing. Wherever our intruder is, they’ve been trained like me.” Not nearly as good, otherwise they would have left no scent behind, and no tracks at all, but still, there was still a trace scent from Orochimaru that lingered in the forest. And Sasuke didn’t like it. “He’s going to pay for invading my sanctuary…”

Orochimaru. Itachi had heard of him from Kakashi. "Should we…get more security or something in that case?" Orochimaru was an elder vampire. Older even than Sasuke, from what Itachi understood.

“…I suppose we could let Naruto and Kakashi know, but short of Indra, I doubt that there’s much that would keep that snake away from me. Assuming, of course, that he has the guts to do his own dirty work this time.” There was nothing and no one that Sasuke hated more in this world than Orochimaru. “And I don’t know where my Sire is, or what he’s doing. He disappeared decades ago.” Sasuke sighs, glancing at Itachi as he sits down on his bed. “Come on, it’s been a long day.”

Itachi sighs as he lays down on the bed. "Kakashi is powerful and you trained him yourself, but Orochimaru is older. Much older." At most, Itachi suspected, Kakashi might be able to stall for time. "I don’t know about Naruto as much though."

“Yes, Orochimaru is older than me, by about three hundred years.” Significant, but not insurmountable. “But Naruto’s clan has a couple of vampires, his grandparents, well, more like Grand-Sires, who are about the same age. If worse came to worst, there’s a chance that the two of them together might be able to put down Orochimaru. But that would mean first fighting past his army of minions.” And Sasuke knew that Orochimaru would be collecting them.

He was almost double Sasuke's age?! "I see and what am I to be doing during all this?" Itachi wasn't going to sit still again. That much was for sure.

Sasuke sighs, fingers playing with Itachi’s hair. “Well, here’s what you’re NOT going to be doing. Throwing yourself in the middle of this, trying to protect me from him. He’s been after me for centuries, and only managed to kill me once. He’s not going to get that pleasure a second time.”

"That's not comforting." He had already killed Sasuke once. "What am I going to do with your sexy, borderline suicidal ass?"

“My ASS is not borderline suicidal.” Sasuke grumbles quietly, glancing at Aoda as the dragon snorts, ambling out of the room to stand guard outside. The huge door closes with a single flick of the scaly tail. “At least…not anymore…”

Itachi sighs as he cuddles to him. "Glad to hear it." He kisses his cheek. "I don't want to lose you."

“And I, you…” Sasuke shakes his head, pressing a kiss to Itachi’s lips as he leans over his mate and strokes his hair, trying to soothe the young vampire. “Besides, Orochimaru isn’t all powerful. In fact, Orochimaru doesn’t have nearly as much power as he would like. That’s why he hates Indra so much, and why he’s hated me for over four centuries.”

It was actually a rather complicated story, but Sasuke would try to simplify it. “Some vampire bloodlines are just stronger than others. Asura’s for one, and Indra’s for another. He’s jealous because his Sire was some second-rate vampire who barely had the power to turn him properly, let alone pass down their strength. That’s why he’s lashing out.” Though the snake was taking his damn sweet time doing it. Sasuke would have preferred that this nonsense have been over and done with centuries ago.

"That's a bit disturbing of a concept." Itachi leans into his touch. "It feels like a monarchy to me, but I suppose if it's innate, it can't really be helped." What could be helped was him losing his Mate. He wouldn't allow that to happen.

Sasuke chuckles softly at his mate’s assessment of the situation. “A monarchy implies some sort of organization. And that…would be giving most of our kind far too much credit. We’re too spread out to consider something like that. There’s just…some lines that are more fortunate than others. The bloodlines are like wine, they’ve had time to stew. Indra was already over a thousand when he turned me, his blood was extremely…potent by that point, and his own Sire…I don’t know their name, but their blood was even more potent. I retained some of that potency, and passed it on to Kakashi after it grew in power inside me for a couple of centuries, and then, he passed that on to you a century and a half later. And then, there’s something to be said for the quality of the human being turned, and all sorts of other things.”

Itachi blinks at all that. "I was a mechanical engineer, but you somehow managed to give me a math headache." He laughs softly at that. "Well my liege, shall we get some sleep?"

“Yes, we shall.” Sasuke chuckles, shaking his head as he rolls off his mate, sliding under the warm covers. “And while you dream of pounding my ass into the bed, I assure you that I will be dreaming about how I pounded yours against the side of the bath.”

"An ancient nymphomanic for a mate." Itachi chuckles as he closes his eyes. "I suppose I got rather lucky when it came to finding my bloodmate."

Sasuke smirks, laying a arm over Itachi’s stomach, lying on his side as he watches the face of his wonderful mate. “You know you love it. Especially when it ends in a week long sex marathon.” Itachi hadn’t complained then, and Sasuke certainly wasn’t going to complain about actually feeling satisfied by a partner.

"I love it and I love you." He burrows closer to Sasuke. "Even if you drive me absolutely crazy sometimes." Like making him stay behind tonight.

“It’s not love if you don’t drive each other crazy, sometimes.” Sasuke smiles as he holds Itachi against his chest. Despite knowing that there were dark clouds overhead, Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to feel afraid, or even apprehensive. Not now. Not with Itachi so sweetly snuggled into his arms.

Itachi sighs and nods. "I just…feel so useless to you outside of the bedroom." He was a fucking liability in a fight. Itachi might be strong for his age, but against a seven hundred year old vampire…he stood little chance of victory.

“Then you get stronger. You make the most of every minute, every second you have. Better yet, get smarter.” Sasuke squeezes Itachi tightly. “Know your strengths, know your weaknesses, and make them work for you. That’s what some people don’t get. Your weaknesses are a part of you, and either you grow out of them, or you live with them. Don’t ignore them, use them. If you’re small, use that to hide, learn stealth. If you’re too shy to speak, then listen to others, remember their every word. If you’re weak, make your enemies underestimate you, and teach yourself how to look for the moment to make a decisive strike. Using everything you have at your disposal…is how to be a true ninja.”

Another sigh and Itachi rolls Sasuke underneath him. "I'm younger than you. You and Orochimaru have the advantage of being older and in your case, I imagine that having a more direct source from Indra gives you a genetic advantage of sorts, but I'm not ignorant." He kisses him. "I already know all that. It might negate some of Orochimaru's advantage around the margins, but it's not enough."

Sasuke returns the kiss, eyes flickering back open to gaze at Itachi determinedly. “Itachi, I promise, Orochimaru isn’t going to kill me, not this time. If all goes well, you won’t even be involved. I may not know what his game is yet, but I have a backup plan in case things go sideways. A ninja always has a backup plan. And it should be enough to even out the odds. Besides…” Sasuke smirks slightly. “You’ve been giving me your blood, in exchange for mine. My blood will make you stronger, you just have to let it.”

"His plan is obvious." Itachi wasn't sure how, but he knew. "He's probably got himself a spy. Found out about me." It hadn't been intentional, but Itachi had put Sasuke in danger. "He knows, Sasuke. He knows about us and he's going to come after me." Maybe, Sasuke blood would make him stronger. "I'll use whatever power boost your blood grants me, but we both know that he's coming."

Sasuke’s eyes burn a violent and dark ruby red. “And if he does, I will cut him to ribbons, rip out his heart, and tear off his head to put on a pike, after showing him why I was the most feared monster in all of Japan during the reign of the shogunate.” If that’s what it took to keep Itachi safe, Sasuke would become that demon once again.

Itachi's heart probably would have stopped beating for a moment, if he wasn't already technically dead. "There's no need to be that dramatic." He kisses Sasuke's forehead, trying to calm him. "Just as long as you’re safe, that's all that I care about. You and Kakashi." He smiles. "Though I am growing fond of Aoda and your other friends."

The red fading slowly from his eyes, Sasuke sinks back into the bed, staring up at Itachi, trying not to imagine what it would feel like if Orochimaru took his mate away. …It was hard, and the anxiety was slowly beginning to take root. “It’s not drama, it’s a promise. If he touches you, I will take great…pleasure in killing him.” His own safety didn’t matter to him, only Itachi’s. Everyone else was more than capable of taking care of themselves. Itachi…he was Sasuke’s heart. And he needed to protect his heart, at any and all costs.

"Well then, let's make sure he doesn't touch me." Itachi smiles at him. "I wish that things were easier. That I didn’t…that I wasn't an easy mark for your enemies."

Now, it’s Sasuke’s turn to roll them over, pinning Itachi to the bed. “If you weren’t here, my enemies would just be playing the waiting game, waiting for me to just…stop.” He’d been pretty close, too, closer than he wanted to admit. “Easy mark or not, you’re the reason that my will hasn’t been opened.” And likely wouldn’t be, unless the worst were to happen. Vampires usually didn’t bother with things like wills, but Sasuke was one of the extremely rare few, who…well, he was just being prepared.

Itachi's eyes sadden at that. Sasuke had apparently been far closer to the edge than even Kakashi suspected. "That's...marginally comforting." He sighs and kisses him. "Well no more wills."

“Not with you here.” Sasuke agrees easily, leaning down to deepen the kiss, his fingers running through Itachi’s hair and caressing his cheek. “Not while you hold my heart in your hands.” One so full of love and affection for his mate, that Sasuke could almost swear it had started beating again.

"Good." Itachi smiles as he returns the kiss. "I much prefer it that way." At least, Sasuke had pulled back from the edge. That was all that really mattered.

Sasuke sighs, closing his eyes and lowering himself the last couple of inches to press firmly against Itachi as their tongues twist and tangle together. He could resume the hunt for Orochimaru or his spy in the morning. Right now, he wanted to enjoy himself a little. And to that end, he reaches down, smirking slightly as he slides his hands beneath his mate, grabbing Itachi’s ass and squeezing hard.

He groans into the kiss lustfully as he wraps his legs around Sasuke, allowing him to squeeze as much as he liked. "I love you." He probably shouldn't, but Itachi did and the other vampire needed to know that.

The older vampire smiles softly at the words, breaking the kiss for only a moment. “I love you too.” Then, he rolls them over again, tangling the sheets around them as Itachi’s weight settles comfortably on top of him.

"Good because you're kinda stuck with me." Itachi chuckles as he peppers his mate with kisses.

Sasuke laughs softly. “I think I can live with that.” It’s what he needed most, after all.


	16. Chapter 16

Anko wasn't entirely sure, if should stay in Japan or head back to California. Either way though, she finds herself dialing the number Kakashi had given her. It was strange that she found herself looking forward to hearing his voice, even though she knew what was eventually going to happen.

She was targeting his Childe and his Sire. He'd never forgive her, if he found out. Not that it should matter. She barely knew the man. Despite all that, she found herself waiting anxiously for him to pick up the phone.

It took almost half a dozen rings for the samurai to pick up his cell-phone, but pick up, he did. “Kakashi, speaking.” It was his personal cell-phone, and not a number he gave out to just anyone.

"Mmm. I know." Anko laughs on the other end of the line. "I was the one who called you."

Well, that was certainly one way to make the day interesting. “Hello, Anko. To what do I owe this pleasure? Has your boss finally let you take a vacation?” The woman surely needed it, especially after being sent halfway around the world at the drop of a hat.

"I'm afraid not." She smiles into the phone. "I finally had a few minutes to myself and thought that I would get back to you." That was the truth, but it wasn't the full true. Never before, had she actually felt guilty about lying to a family member of a 'mark.'

That was disappointing, but maybe Kakashi could make things a little more interesting. “It’s nice to hear from you, then. And maybe we’ll see each other again soon. I’m due to arrive in Japan tomorrow. We could make plans to meet in Tokyo.”

Damn it! He shouldn't be in Japan. Not now! "I'd love to." She was about to make Kakashi an orphan in a way and to steal his only childe, but she could at least keep him safe.

“Good, then once I’ve paid a visit to my family, the two of us should grab dinner in the city. I know this rather nice restaurant in Tokyo with excellent steak.” After all, Kakashi WAS a carnivore by nature. Vegetarianism didn’t really exist in their species. It was a fast way to an early grave.

"Well I never was one to turn down a good steak." She smiles at that. Why did he have to be so sweet in his own way? "I'll meet you there. What time?" That just made his far harder than it had to be.

“Will seven work? I can text you the address if you’d rather not have me pick you up.” He did have a property in Tokyo, along with a few cars. Picking her up would be an easy feat.

"I can meet you there and seven works perfectly." She couldn't let him know where she was staying.

“Wonderful, then I look forward to having a bite with you.” Kakashi chuckles at his own joke. “And try not to do anything foolish, before I arrive.”

She laughs at that. "If you want a well-behaved vampiress, you'll have to look elsewhere." Anko was already doing something foolish by agreeing to go out with him in the first place.

“Then I look forward to teaching my vampiress to behave herself.” Oh, Kakashi could play this game, and he could play it well. “Would she prefer to learn on a bed, or against a wall?”

"I'm of the opinion that a good teacher can teach in any location." She laughs. "Though I find myself partial to offices."

Well, well, well, would wonders never cease. “I think that an introduction to my home office can be arranged.” And they could make very good use of his desk.

Normally, that'd be an intriguing offer. "I suppose we'll see where the night takes us." Though she couldn't actually go through with it. Sleeping with the man who she was going to leave without a family.

“Vixen.” Kakashi snorts with amusement. “Very well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He closes the top of his suitcase and hangs up the call. After all, if he was going to be at the estate by noon tomorrow, there wasn’t any time to waste.

* * *

 

Itachi was indulging in some rather heated kissing with his Mate. He dared not go further. His lover was clearly exhausted, but the younger vampire was also quite certain the man wanted to be close to him as well. Needed it actually.

Sasuke had been out all day, from dawn until dusk for the last week, scouring the grounds for their intruder. Every night, he returned to his room, frustrated, his nerves frayed, and his good little mate waiting to kiss it all better.

"Would it be better for us to leave this place for a time?" Itachi caresses Sasuke's face. "I don't think he's in a hurry to make a move, but clearly he is planning something."

“…Maybe.” Though Sasuke doubted that there were many places safer than the estate. “Kakashi should be here soon, and from there, we can figure out what to do. We could go to Scotland again and stay with Naruto’s clan. But we would have to leave Aoda here to protect the estate.” Plus, they could hardly take a dragon on an airplane. Or ride him all the way to Europe.

"I doubt they'd be foolish enough to take on a dragon once they realize we aren't here." Itachi chuckles at that thought. "Maybe, Scotland." If Sasuke thought this was the safer place to be, then Itachi would trust his judgment. "If you think it's safer here though, I trust you."

“Good…” Sasuke kisses under Itachi’s jaw, sucking a dark bruise into the pale skin. “Now be a good mate and kiss me, at least. I really don’t want to think about that snake right now.”

"Alright." He enjoys the attention. "You are very possessive. Always leaving marks on me." Itachi laughs at that thought and then captures Sasuke's lips in a heated kiss.

“Of course I am, I’m an Uchiha.” Being possessive just came with the territory. And Sasuke was more than willing to prove it by plundering Itachi’s mouth as he pulls the younger vampire on top of him. “And so are you.” Sure, he was tired, but right now, he just wanted his mate.

Itachi eagerly kisses back. "That's true." He smiles at him between kisses, enjoying being close to Sasuke.

Almost entranced by his mate’s intoxicating kiss, Sasuke’s hands move almost of their own accord, sliding up Itachi’s back, pushing up his shirt as calloused fingers glide along perfectly smooth skin. He had such a gorgeous mate…and it didn’t seem at all fair to force him to wear clothes.

Itachi smiles when he feels Sasuke's hands underneath his shirt. He pulls away briefly for a bit, only to slide off his shirt. "Is this better?" Four hundred years old and the man still had the sex drive of an eighteen year old, much to Itachi's delight.

Sasuke’s eyes glitter at the sight of Itachi’s bare chest. “Much better.” There was nothing better than seeing his mate stripping for him. Well, except maybe the sight of Itachi in the midst of an orgasm, but it definitely took a close second to that. He runs his fingers along the planes of Itachi’s chest, and not even exhaustion from running around all day was enough to prevent his cock from stiffening in his pants.

"You're probably the most responsive vampire on the planet." He smiles at Sasuke and kisses him. "Do you want to go slow this time?" He looked exhausted and yet, well that tent in his pants was unmistakable.

Slow…slow sounded good. Sasuke nods, kissing back in a soft, sensual manner. “A change of pace sounds like a good idea.” At least for now. They could get back to the hot, fiery sex later.

Itachi kisses back happily. "Yeah." He loved their more aggressive coupling style, but slow could be good sometimes. "Do you want the reins this time or for me to take care of things?" He reaches for his pants.

Chuckling softly, Sasuke leans back against the pillows, lifting his hips up for Itachi. “Go on, then.” He didn’t mind indulging his lover so much. Besides, Itachi only got better with each passing day, learning little tricks here and there. Besides, Sasuke knew his limits, and taking Itachi this time would be…a challenge, to put it mildly.

"I think you want to be pampered." Itachi chuckles at that thought as he places a soft series of kisses along his jawline and over the pale column of his throat. "Which I certainly don't mind doing." He quickly finishes stripping his beloved and marvels at the smooth muscles that were on display everywhere.

Sasuke sighs and tilts his head to the side, exposing his neck further for Itachi. “Maybe a little.” After all, it wasn’t something that happened…ever, really. Sasuke wasn’t the type to sit around and be pampered.

He nips him lightly, but not enough to pierce the skin while gliding his hands over the muscular planes of his chest. "You're still the most beautiful man that I've ever met." What was in the water in Feudal Japan, Itachi wonders to himself as he takes Sasuke's cock into his other hand and lightly strokes him.

Rolling his eyes and his hips, Sasuke sighs and shake his head at Itachi. “I take after my uncle more than my father. There was speculation that I was Izuna’s son instead, except that Mother was faithful, and I clearly got Father’s wild hair. Best of both worlds, I guess.”

It surprised Itachi that Sasuke remembered details like that. "Yes. Definitely the best of both worlds." He smiles and covers his chest in hot kisses and affectionate licks. "Just relax and forget everything but the two of us for awhile." He wanted to ask if Sasuke missed them, but he knew better than to do that. Nothing would kill the mood faster than talking about dead parents.

“Yeah…nothing but you and me.” Sasuke hums contentedly under the attention, twitching slightly whenever Itachi found a more sensitive place. Definitely relaxing, and that was what Sasuke sorely needed. Itachi’s gentle touch was soothing to the soul.

He smiles at that and nips Sasuke's inner thigh playfully before taking the tip of his erection into his mouth. "Good." He lavishes it with his tongue and slowly begins taking him more and more into his mouth.

“Ah!” Sasuke’s soft cry disappears into the air as his cock disappears slowly into Itachi’s mouth. It was sinfully erotic to watch, especially in what was essentially slow motion. “Itachi…”

Deciding he was doing something right, Itachi bobs his head up and down and begins slowly deep-throating him. "I love you." He looks up at him, managing his declaration despite the fact his mouth was currently full. To say that his Mate was well endowed would be an understatement.

Sasuke’s onyx eyes glow with pure, untainted love. “And I love you, Itachi.” He gasps, feeling his cock hit the back of his mate’s throat. “Only you…my heart…”

Itachi beams at the praise and sucks faster and harder. "It better be only me." Or he would have to melt some feminine looking snow demons.

“AH!” Sasuke’s hips jerk up, the love in his eyes quickly joined by the red glow of lust. “Only you, Itachi. Only you!” Now, his cries fill the air as his vision blurs to the white-hot pleasure of his climax, washing over him like a gentle, but fierce ocean wave.

"Good." He smiles at that and watches Sasuke as he achieves climax. It was a beautiful thing. "I thought we'd try something new." He smiles and reaches over into the drawer. "I got us a flavored and scented version." Strawberry. He quickly grabs the lubrication and coats his fingers with it.

His cheeks tinted pink as he slowly regains his senses after his high, Sasuke eyes the sweet-smelling lubricant and nods. “Mhm.” His mind was kind of a puddle of goo right now, but he got the gist of it, and relaxes his hips, spreading his legs wide for Itachi.

Itachi decides not to comment on what a sweet submissive Sasuke looked like at the moment as he slowly slides a finger inside his lover and kisses him. Gently, he begins preparing him. Sasuke was not someone who was used to bottoming.

Squirming just a little, Sasuke relaxes against Itachi’s hand, kissing back as well as he was able, moaning softly into Itachi’s mouth. One of his hands somehow manages to find Itachi’s hair again, fingers twirling into the soft black locks after the tie is tossed away. Soft…just like how Itachi was gentle. It fit. It fit his mate so very well.

He adds a second finger and uses his second hand to coat his fully aroused cock with the lubrication. "Perfect. You're perfect." He kisses him sweetly again as he tries to stretch his Mate.

Sasuke sighs, smiling as his toes begin curling into the sheets. “And now, I smell and taste like strawberries.” In fact, right now, Itachi and strawberries were about all Sasuke could smell at all.

He adds a third finger. "Well there are worse things to smell and taste like." Itachi chuckles as he finishes covering his cock and goes back to stroking Sasuke's.

“True.” Sasuke pulls his mate back down for a kiss, rolling his hips as Itachi’s fingers brush against his sweet spot.

Itachi kisses back eagerly and continues to tease that spot. "Now get in whatever position you'd like." The younger vampire slides his fingers out of his Mate.

Well, it would be easier to do, laying on his side, but right now, Sasuke really wanted to see his mate’s eyes as they made love. So, he draws his knees back and lifts them, hooking his legs around Itachi’s waist even as he wraps his arms around Itachi’s neck, drawing their bodies ever closer together. “…Take me like this.”

"As you wish." Itachi smiles and kisses Sasuke as he slowly buries himself inside the other man. "You feel so fucking good."

“Nnngh!” Sasuke’s whole body trembles as it rolls against Itachi in a wave. Itachi always made him feel so incredibly full. And being so wrapped up in warmth, love…this was where Sasuke was meant to be. More importantly, this was where Itachi was meant to be, too.

The kisses become hotter and more possessive as Itachi repeatedly buries himself inside the vampire below him. Hot and tight. They fit together so perfectly.

Sasuke’s fingers dig into Itachi’s back and pull on his hair as he welcomes his mate’s hot, wet tongue into his mouth, sucking on it as he presses them tightly together, skin to skin. It was wonderful, like pushing and pressing their souls together until they merged together to form a single entity in the forge fires of their bond.

Itachi groans at the feeling of being so closely connected to his Mate. He even loved it when Sasuke dug his nails into his back. "Love you so much." It was another sign that the other vampire wanted him as he thrusts inside him faster and faster.

“Ah! Itachi!” Sasuke’s grip tightens unconsciously as that familiar knot of pleasure tightens within him. “Love you…too.” More than anyone or anything else in his entire life. Even a short time together felt like an eternity. And an eternity was precisely what the two of them would have together.

It didn't take long for Itachi to tumble over the edge. Being inside him, feeling Sasuke's skin against his own, his scent, and the sight of his lover coming undone underneath him was just too much for the vampire to resist. "Sasuke!" So he spills his release deep inside the other vampire.

Only moments later, Sasuke joins him in the haze of pleasure, the warm, sticky feeling spreading over his stomach, being rubbed between their unusually heated bodies. In his haze, Sasuke presses his nose to Itachi’s neck, inhaling the scent that belonged solely to his mate, before licking slowly, lethargically, and sinking his fangs into the smooth, soft skin.

Itachi groans in pleasure at being bitten. "Take as much as you want." Sasuke needed to feed.

Sweet blood coats Sasuke’s tongue as he drinks deeply, savoring the intoxicating taste of his mate. Whether it be his blood or his essence, Sasuke was drenched in Itachi’s scent, and he knew it. And deep inside, it thrilled him.

"That feels good." The younger vampire sighs in pleasure at the feeling of Sasuke drinking from him.

“Tastes better…” There was nothing in the world that tasted better than Itachi’s blood. As if Sasuke were a mere mortal, and Itachi’s blood the ambrosia that brought eternal life and light. Eventually, he stops himself, lapping up the last few drops, and nuzzling Itachi’s neck. “Mine…my precious…” His eyes flutter shut as his legs relax, sliding down Itachi’s back and down to the bed as his grip slackens.

Itachi slides out of Sasuke and curls up closely to his lover. "I'm yours just as you are mine." Itachi smiles at him. He couldn't imagine his life without the other vampire in it now. "Always." So this was what it meant to be a bloodmate.

* * *

 

Indra wasn't entirely sure why, but he sensed as though something had happened to his childe. Perhaps, he had kept Sasuke by his side for too long in the beginning, but that was only because he cared about the boy. Since Sasuke had struck out on his own though, Indra had allowed the younger vampire to do exactly that. To be on his own.

Of course, he would intervene, if things looked too dire. "Sasuke?" Indra would also check up on him as humans said once in a Blue Moon out of affection, but he felt as though something had happened and that was why he broke his decades long streak of no contact with his descendant.

Sasuke blinks bemusedly, half-certain that the fact that he’d only just woken up was responsible for the fact that he could have sworn that he’d heard his Sire’s voice on the other end of the line when he picked up the phone. “Speaking?” It couldn’t be…could it?

"Ah good. I'm glad that I caught you." Indra smiles at the sound of his childe's voice, suddenly feeling guilty for neglecting him for this long. "I know that you've become a busy vampire these past few centuries, but I had the strangest feeling..." How could he articulate this without sounding mad? "That something had happened to you and well, I've learned to trust my instincts. Clearly, they must be doing something right for me to have survived this long."

He blinks again. It was Indra. It was really Indra. “Uh…yeah…” A lot had happened the last few decades, and Sasuke wasn’t entirely sure if he was angry or relieved that his Sire had left him to handle it on his own. “And apparently, your ancient ass has actually learned how to use a phone. How did you get this number, anyway?”

He chuckles at that and smiles. "Well my brother has always been more fond of modern technology than me." That and the man was awfully persistent. "He finally pestered me into learning how to use one and as for how I got your number, you're my Childe. I’ll always be able to find you."

“Right…” Though he hadn’t bothered to any time in the last…whatever. Sasuke looks down as Itachi rolls over, still fast asleep, and who would probably be out for another hour or two at least. “Well, a lot has happened this month.” He reaches for a black silk yukata, pulling it on as he slips out of the bed and pulls the curtain closed behind him.

"I'm listening." Indra wasn't entirely sure if that was good or bad. "Are you in immediate danger? Do you require or would you like my assistance in some matter?" What if he had allowed Sasuke too much freedom and he had endangered his only childe by doing so?

“I…” Well, that was a two pronged question, though his Sire didn’t know it. “On the first issue, no, my life is no longer in immediate danger of expiration. I’ve started drinking blood again.”

Oh that was wonderful news. "I'm so glad to hear that." Indra would be lying, if he said he hadn't been concerned. "It does no good to tempt fate in such a manner. No matter how noble your intentions might have been." Indra pauses because he senses a but coming. "And?"

Sasuke looks back towards his bed, just seeing his mate still sleeping through the crack in the curtain. “His name is Itachi, he’s an Uchiha. I thought that the bloodline had ended long ago, however, it seems that Kakashi turned him half a century ago. But I only met him a short time ago.” And he was Sasuke’s perfect, sweet, innocent mate. “He’s mine. I finally found him…the one who forever holds my heart.”

"I had no idea that our line still existed." Had Indra known, he would have tracked him down long before Sasuke had. "I'm a Great Grandsire?" Ah well that was indeed splendid news. "I'm happy for you, Sasuke." Finding one's Bloodmate was every vampire's dream. "I am sorry though. Had I found him sooner, if I had known that he existed...you wouldn't have had to wait so long."

“It doesn’t matter…” What mattered to Sasuke was that Itachi was here now. “He pulled me from the darkness of my own despair, even when I was perfectly prepared to fade away. He is the reason I want to live. The reason why I was here to take your call at all.” Because honestly, Sasuke doubted that he would have bothered picking up a call now, had he not met Itachi. Hell, he might have finally just…ended the pain.

He had truly failed him. "I should have stayed closer to you." Indra had thought the vampire needed space, but he had been wrong. "I failed you and for that I am sorry, but do tell me about your Mate."

“Tell you about him, huh?” Sasuke smiles softly. Indra hadn’t failed him, immortality just…didn’t agree with some people. “He’s intelligent and has a great interest in space travel. He apparently helped to work on the Apollo project. He is Japanese American, whoever survived the massacre that night must have fled to the states. He is…caring and compassionate, and has been extremely determined to keep me alive, going so far as to tempting and forcing me to drink his blood.”

"Well I always figured you would probably fall for some sort of scholar." He chuckles at that. "I thought perhaps a doctor. Engineer wasn't one I would have thought of, but I suppose that means he's good with his hands." Which was an important quality in a Mate. "I'm glad that he was stubborn and reckless enough to force you to drink. You needed to do it."

“Yes, I know.” Sasuke smirks slightly. “And he’s VERY good with his hands. So innocent, though he fancies himself not. He’s very good at learning, soaks up knowledge and experience like a sponge. And somehow manages to put up with my…well, he has accused me of being a nymphomaniac.” And he wasn’t wrong. “Though I do wish that he was as dedicated to training, as he is to expanding his knowledge of sex.”

Indra couldn't help, but laugh at that last part. "He's a relatively young vampire who has an ancient nymphomaniac as a lover." It was only natural really. "I would frankly be a bit concerned, if intimacy wasn't the first thought on his mind." He smiles. "He's a fast learner though and good with his hands. It sounds as though you're quite happy with him." Which was good. One couldn't exactly get a refund on their Bloodmate.

“Yes, I am.” Though Sasuke glares slightly through the phone. “Though it’s hardly my fault, I’m not the one who decided that getting close to their eighteen year old descendant was a good thing. If you’d held off your curiosity for a few years, I would have ended up turned in my twenties, not as as hormone-driven teenager.” Hormones that he’d ‘conveniently’ discovered AFTER being turned. Sex and blood were literally the only things on his mind for a long while after he was turned. Well, that, and returning to his duties and the Shogun. That last one kind of ruled over the other two.

"Had I not turned you then, you might have died in battle long before I turned you for all we know." He felt rather justified. "And if that had happened, well Itachi wouldn't be alive seeing as Kakashi sired him and you sired Kakashi."

Sasuke twitches, scoffing lightly. “Right, but you’re still the reason I’m a nympho.” Well, him, and one other person. “Well, half the reason. The other half…” His fists clench slightly, and he nearly cracks his phone with his anger. “Orochimaru has a spy skulking about the estate, or he’s doing it himself. The two running theories right now are that either Orochimaru is here for me, or…he has a spy here to take Itachi.” To steal away his bloodmate, and do gods and goddesses knew what to his heart.

"I can be there in a matter of hours, if you wish it." Toying with someone's bloodmate was simply unacceptable.

His Sire would come? That was…a possibility that Sasuke hadn’t seriously considered. “…We’re at the family estate in Iga. Kakashi is already on his way, and I was going to contact Naruto later to let him know what’s going on. It would…reassure me to have you here to protect Itachi.”

Indra imagined that it would. Orochimaru was the one who had killed Sasuke, after all. "I shall be there as soon as I can." He smiled into the phone. "Finding a Bloodmate is a beautiful and sacred thing, the likes of Orochimaru would never be able to understand that."

“No, he wouldn’t.” And Sasuke shuddered to think what would happen to the poor soul who did have the misfortune of being such a monster’s mate. But more importantly, Indra was coming. His Sire was coming, and Itachi would be safe. “…I can’t wait for you to meet him. He’s…perfect.”

"I imagine that he is." Indra chuckles at that. "You always did have such high standards. I do hope that Aoda likes him. Dragons can be very protective."

“Aoda adores him.” Truly, it was quite amusing how much the dragon liked his mate. “He’s even started helping Itachi train.” Even if that involved the dragon ‘attacking’ his mate with a scaly tail.

That was a rather amusing image. "Well as long as Aoda approves, I suppose that he must be an acceptable choice." The overgrown scaly puppy.

“Yes, he must be.” Sasuke rolls his eyes. “And you’ll be glad to know that he’s much more polite than I am.” Well, until someone threatened those he cared about. Once that happened, well… “Though he does have the Uchiha temper to go with his looks.”

"Well it's good to see the Uchiha genes are so strong, even after this many generations." Indra nods at that. "I can't wait to meet him."

“Yeah…” Sasuke just wished that is was under better circumstances. “…See you later, then. And tell Uncle Asura that I say hi.”

"I'll be sure to do so." He smiles. "I should have gotten in touch with you sooner. Oh well, I intend to make up for lost time." And Indra knew exactly how he was going to go about doing so. "By giving you a gift of Orochimaru's head on a silver platter. Won't that make a marvelous wedding gift?"

Sasuke smirks slightly. “Sure, I guess you can do that, after I’ve gutted him, strung up whatever is left of his body after I dismember it, and left his head on a pike.”

"That's my boy." Indra laughs. "Like Sire, like child." Well at least Sasuke had his priorities straight.

“There’s one more thing…” And Sasuke had gone to great pains to find out, even before meeting Itachi, who Orochimaru’s minions were, and the list was extremely long, and likely extremely incomplete. “It seems that Orochimaru had a hand in Itachi’s turning. One of his fledglings, a vampiress named Kitasha. She was the one who killed Itachi.” Orochimaru truly did have an unhealthy fixation on their family.

The man was obsessed. "As humans might say these days, that is creepy." Indra would take great pleasure shredding him limb from limb.

“Yeah.” Creepy indeed. “I’d better go, Itachi could be out a while longer, or up in a matter of minutes.” Sasuke cringes. “He’s a morning person.”

"Oh well that's unfortunate." His childe had always been a night owl by nature.

“Yes, very.” Amusing, but unfortunate. And it was only because he’d heard the phone ringing that Sasuke was even up this early to begin with. “See you later, Indra.”

He nods at that. "I shall be there soon. Enjoy your quality time with your Mate." Well at least Sasuke was safe for now. He'd found his Mate and was no longer hanging over the edge of the abyss. It was now up to Indra to ensure things stayed that way.

As he puts down his phone, Sasuke saunters back to the bed, drawing the curtain aside quietly, blocking out the light as he closes it behind him and dispenses with the yukata once more. He brushes his fingers lightly against Itachi’s face, then kisses his mate on the brow as he joins him back under the covers.

Itachi smiles as he cuddles into him. Completely oblivious to the conversation that had just occurred. He was just happy to have his mate's presence near him.

So innocent. Sasuke’s mate was far too sweet and innocent to be dragged into such ugly business. “Don’t worry, Itachi…you’ll be safe and sound soon.” But not soon enough, not for Sasuke. No, the sooner that snake was dead, the better.


	17. Chapter 17

Anko makes her way to the restaurant that Kakashi had chosen. He was her way in. She should be happy about that fact or at least feel proud of having found a way into the stronghold without worrying about getting caught as much, but instead she was filled only with dread. It was a good thing that she was such an accomplished actress. No one need ever know that last part.

And, waiting just outside the doors for her is the silver-haired vampire himself, smiling mischievously as he eyes the slinky purple dress that complimented Anko’s lovely bosom oh so well. Not too little, not too much, but just…perfect. Of course, he would never tell a woman otherwise, every one was lovely and special, and deserved to be treated as such. Anko, most of all. “My lady.” There was just something about her that quite entranced Kakashi as he holds out his arm to her.

"You made it." She smiles at him. "I know that air travel can be murder." He did have the old world quality to him, even if she knew that Kakashi had been turned less than two centuries ago.

Kakashi chuckles at the turn of phrase. “Well, I find that so long as one has the right spirits, the right company, and the right motivation, even something as unpleasant as air travel can be quite enjoyable. Provided, of course, that there is no murder involved. That sort of thing can quickly spoil a trip.” He guides her inside the restaurant and past the reception as he nods to one of the hosts. It was one of his favorite restaurants here in Japan, and the staff knew him well.

Sadly, Anko knew that his trip was about to be ruined and he'd likely be scarred for the rest of his supernatural existence. "Yes, that's true." Well the least she could do was offer him a pleasant evening. Damn Orochimaru.

“Then let us hope that nothing comes to spoil tonight.” Kakashi removes his date’s hand from his arm, pulling out a chair from a reserved table set in a little alcove.

"Let's hope not." She takes the chair he had so gallantly pulled out for her and sits down. "Are you happy to be in Japan again?" Did he know? Why was he making all these references to murder and the night being spoiled? Perhaps, he just had a morbid sense of humor?

“Well, I do quite enjoy my trips to Japan, but I also find myself to be rather fond of America. Things change quite quickly, and it’s amusing to watch them change so often.” It was something that Kakashi, as a vampire, was not so subject to. “Europe has its own charms, and it reminds me quite a bit of Japan, however…in the end, I believe that this is where my heart will always be, no matter where I wander.”

Anko nods at that. She supposed that it was true what they say. "You can take the vampire out of home country, but you can't take the home country out of the vampire." Maybe Japan would be able to comfort him in a way after his Sire and Childe were gone.

“Indeed you cannot.” Kakashi smiles as he takes his own seat, and pours first Anko, and then himself a glass of the specially selected bloodwine. That was the reason that he liked this establishment as much as he did. You required a certain…membership in order to enter, and it was one such place that catered to their kind. The owner himself was a vampire, and had procured bloodwine from across the world. “Does my lady hail from anywhere in particular, or is she a free spirit that goes where the winds take her?”

"Originally, Europe." It had been awhile since anyone cared enough to ask that question. "Though as you can see my work takes me all over the world." She probably would have liked traveling, if Anko didn't know why she was doing it. Now, it just left a bitter taste in her mouth. "At the moment, I'm fortunate that work seems to be basing me more in Japan than anywhere else though." She was always doing Orochimaru's dirty work. Work that he felt was beneath him or too risky for him, but it was too important to leave it to the rank and file amongst his followers.

“Yes, so I see.” Kakashi raises his glass to his lips, testing the bloodwine, and finding the selection as exquisite as usual. “I do enjoy traveling, and have used a few countries as something of a home base, while exploring the nations surrounding it. But circumstances have dictated that I remain in America for some time.” After all, raising a newborn while on the move would have been difficult, at best, and forcing Itachi to remain in an uncertain limbo would have been cruel. “However, it may be that returning here on a more permanent basis is in my future. So perhaps we will be seeing each other more often.”

Under normal circumstances, she would have liked that. "I’m glad that things are settling down for you." She smiles at him. That was true. He needed some stability for what was to come. "And I would like that." It wasn't going to happen of course.

Kakashi takes a moment to look over the menu, writing down which order he would like, before handing it to the waiter. “I am curious, though. What would bring you so far from Europe so frequently?”

"Mmm my employer keeps me rather busy." How could she explain this without arousing his suspicion. "He is a businessman and one who has dealings all over the world. I'm his assistant in a way." She smiles at him slyly. "It's been that way ever since he saw me in that damn lifeboat."

Anko wasn't sure why she was telling him this. "I was a survivor on the Titanic and he was impressed by that." To relieve her own guilt, she supposed. "He liked my spirit and thought that I was going to be good luck and so he turned me." It would have been better to die in the cold ocean though in hindsight.

Well now…that was rather interesting. Kakashi certainly hadn’t had the experience of nearly drowning at sea before. “You have my sympathies. I, myself, was turned in similarly unfortunate circumstances. I’d been stabbed more times than was healthy for a samurai.”

"Thank you." She blinks at the second part and then smiles slyly. "I suppose if you really were a samurai, you know all about how to handle your sword."

“Yes, you could say that.” Kakashi smiles in a similar manner. “And I had a rather exceptional sensei later on who taught me…a great many things.”

She was fortunate Orochimaru hadn't been THAT thorough. "Should I be jealous of this sensei?" She knew who it was, but Anko pretends otherwise. Orochimaru had ensured that she was taught all about the carnal arts, just not by him. Her sire was the exception to the rule. Instead of being bisexual, it was rather obvious that he was only attracted to men. Which made Anko rather grateful to have breasts instead of an XY chromosome combination.

“There’s no need to be jealous, it was long ago, before even your pretty face graced the Earth.” Kakashi chuckles softly. “Besides, the man is perfectly content with his own bloodmate.” And he shuddered to think about what his Sire was planning to do to Orochimaru, when he got his hands on the man. Because he could think up some rather horrifying things, all of which, Sasuke was NOT above doing.

She smiles and runs her hand along his shoulder. "He? I do hope that I"m not wasting my time, pinning after someone who prefers the company of men." Anko knew for a fact that wasn't the case. She had read his file. "I don't mind a man who prefers men or a woman who prefers women, but...as you can see, I'm definitely not a man. I’m afraid that in certain areas, I just lack the proper equipment to compete with your Sire."

Kakashi chuckles and takes her hand, kissing it. “I think that you’ll find that though I can be persuaded in favor of a man if he is sufficiently attractive, I do confess I prefer women. I believe that it is the unpredictability that draws me.” A quality that his Sire shared, more due to his upbringing and history, than his gender.

"Then that works out to my advantage then." She smiles at that. "If you were a Samurai, I believe that means you're probably older than me." Again, Anko had to feign ignorance. She had looked into his background rather thoroughly.

Kakashi’s gaze glitters with mischief. “I doubt that I need to tell you that. If you know anything about Japan, then you would know that the era of the samurai ended long ago.” It was common knowledge, after all. And he didn’t really feel like putting a precise number on his age where just anyone could hear him.

He was too cute for his own good. "I don't mind an older man." It was generally her preference really. "With age comes wisdom, if one is lucky anyway and practice does make perfect in most situations." She trails her foot over his leg to emphasize which situations she was referring to.

“Yes, practice certainly makes perfect.” She was making it very HARD not to throw away decorum and ravish her there on the table, but Kakashi still comported himself as an honorable samurai, even if the era had long since passed. And that meant…that such displays in public, while potentially thrilling, were not the best course of action. Besides, displaying Anko’s attractive form was something that should be solely for him, and not for the many patrons of the restaurant.

"Mhm." She smiles as she enjoys her bloodwine. "I do hope that I'm not keeping you from your family." If Anko was fortunate, she might get an invitation out of this. That would make things easier.

“Not at all, I checked in with them shortly after arriving, and returned here just before you arrived.” Sasuke was well aware that Kakashi was here, and he’d gotten something of an earful from Itachi, marred only by the fact that the man had clearly been in the remnants of an afterglow. “My Sire has an estate close to Nara.”

She already knew that, but Anko once again had to pretend she didn't. "That's nice. I hear that Nara is lovely this time of year." An invitation would be preferred, but she would make do without one...if worse came to worst.

“Yes, it is, especially by the water.” Kakashi did rather like the family estate, though he hadn’t lived there with Sasuke in quite some time. Not since the Uchiha Clan had been alive and well. “Would you like to meet him? Our family is due for a reunion soon.”

"I'd love to." Perfect. She should be overjoyed at making progress, but Anko felt like she was going to throw up. "If your family wouldn't mind, that is."

“I doubt my Sire would put up a fuss about it. After all, he does have a merman, a half-giant, and a half-succubus living with him.” Not to mention Aoda. Kakashi had certainly missed Aoda. The makeshift tongue baths…not so much.

Anko blinks at that. "Quite the diverse family he has assembled for himself." She smiles at Kakashi. "Alright then."

“Yes, quite diverse indeed.” And Kakashi knew that Sasuke wouldn’t change that for the world.

* * *

 

After spending a whole week trying to find the spy, and having no success, Sasuke was in the mood to stay indoors. Preferably, lounging around in Itachi’s lap, only caring enough to glare whenever Suigetsu ‘helpfully’ pointed out that he was acting like a girl. He was not acting like a girl, he was just being…snuggly.

…Not that he would ever admit that out loud. He didn’t snuggle.

Still, it felt rather nice to be cozied up on Itachi’s lap, his head resting lazily against the curve of his mate’s neck as he hummed softly. “I have a surprise for you, Itachi.”

"A surprise?" Itachi looks at him curiously. "I hope it's not more meditation practice." He chuckles as he kisses the top of Sasuke's head. He loved Sasuke with all his heart, but meditation practice was not his favorite thing to do.

“No, it’s not.” Though Sasuke could definitely see Indra helping him to promote some self-discipline on Itachi’s part. “Your great Grand-Sire is coming to visit.”

He blinks at that in confusion. "I thought you said that you hadn't spoken to him in decades?" His great grand-sire must have been at least a thousand years old, if he was older than Orochimaru.

“I hadn’t, not until he called this morning to ‘check up’ on me. He does it once every few decades.” Not as often as Sasuke would like, but the man was difficult to get a hold of. “It seems that my ‘uncle’ taught him how to use a phone recently.”

"Well that's good." Every few decades seemed like a long time not to see your Childe, but given how old Indra was perhaps it made sense. "I can't wait to meet him then." Itachi smiles.

“Yes, and then you’ll see where we get our looks from.” Even if the man had been a bit older when he was turned, well, the Uchiha genes seemed to take to age very well. “I’m sure that he’ll dote on you, just as he did me when I was young.” Sasuke smirks at the thought of Indra’s reaction to Itachi. “He’s looking forward to meeting you as well.”

Itachi chuckles at that. Sasuke was obviously very proud of his Sire. "Well I do like being doted on, but somehow I doubt he'll surpass you in that department."

Sasuke smirks lazily, tilting his head to trail kisses up Itachi’s neck, nibbling on his mate’s ear. “Well, reserve judgment until you meet him. And don’t worry about whether or not you’re too polite, or not polite enough. I was perfectly obedient the first few years, but ended up giving him a lot of lip when I got a little older. He’s fairly patient. You have to be when you’ve been around over a millennium and a half.”

Itachi was suddenly glad he was sitting down. "He's f-fifteen hundred years old?" That was incredible. He knew that in theory such a thing was possible, but most vampires were extremely lucky to reach a thousand.

“Mhm, he and his brother have been around a long time.” Sasuke wraps his arms around Itachi’s neck, sliding one of his legs over to straddle Itachi’s lap. “Somehow, the two of them manage to keep each other sane enough not to go crazy.”

"I see." He smiles and kisses Sasuke's forehead. "Well, I suppose that will eventually be us...only with more sex." Itachi chuckles at that thought.

“Maybe. Though I do sometimes wonder about those two.” They may have both been married before being turned, but once they were vampires, well, anything could have happened to them. And Sasuke wondered how two vampires who weren’t bloodmates could keep each other from going crazy for so long. “But yes, with more sex. You can blame Indra for turning me too young, and bringing out my inner nympho.” And then him for bringing out Kakashi’s. His eyes dance with a humorous light.

Itachi kisses him. He certainly didn't didn't blame Indra for that. "I don't blame him. If anything, I should send him a gift basket." He smiles at his handsome mate.

“Mhm. Pervert.” Sasuke has no problem returning the kiss, tangling their tongues together eagerly.

"You like it though." Itachi smiles and kisses him back eagerly.

Yes, yes he did. Sasuke liked it a lot. And he liked it when Itachi gave in to being a pervert. “Wouldn’t complain if you were more of one.” Hell, he would enjoy it, revel in it. “I’d indulge whatever kinks you’ve got.”

He tilts his head at that declaration. "Is that your tactful way of implying that I’m too vanilla for you?" That stung a bit, but the vampire had been around for centuries. God only knows what Sasuke considered exotic.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, then plants a kiss on Itachi’s lips. “I meant more along the lines of inviting you to indulge in your imagination. Unleash your inner lemon-raspberry-mango swirl, and put on all the toppings you like.”

"I'll think about it." Itachi kisses him back as his brows furrow at that. "Honestly, I'm just happy to be with you. I hadn't really thought of much beyond that." Sasuke had generally seemed rather happy to take the lead and the younger vampire was more than willing to go along for the ride. So it hadn't come up much.

“I know.” And Sasuke was just as happy, being with Itachi. “But we do have forever, as strange as that sounds. And you’re still easing into this, but sooner or later, you’ll get curious, so I thought that I would preemptively encourage you to be as curious as you like. But we can leave that for later. Kakashi should be back from his date soon.”

Itachi nods at that. Though he was rather curious. Not about sex in this particular instance, but something else. "A date? Is it the Banshee?" Would Shizune really come all the way to Japan? That would imply they were more serious than Itachi thought.

“Not sure, he wouldn’t tell me.” Not that it really mattered to Sasuke. Kakashi was a grown vampire, and he was entitled to do whatever he liked, and date whoever he pleased. “I do hope he settles down eventually.” Sasuke wanted his childe to be happy.

"It's odd, but something just dawned on me." Itachi laughs at the thought. "I got married in a way before my 'father' did."

“And at the same time as your ‘grandfather’, if you really want to play that game.” Sasuke shakes his head. “But you really don’t want to go down the age road. The comparisons get really scary.”

He was probably right about that. There were some things that one didn't want to think too much about. "A fair point." Itachi kisses his cheek and smiles. "Why was there something you wanted to try in particular?"

Ah, and now they were back to the kinks. “Well, there was this one empty room in the estate that I’ve been thinking about adding mirrors to. On the walls…the ceiling…the floor…” Unbreakable, of course, the type that could be covered in bulletproof glass. Just to be on the safe side. And Sasuke had a few other ideas that would be much more fun with Itachi than with random strangers. “And this spot on the roof where we could let the stars watch us. There is, of course, that idea of getting whipped cream involved.” Since Sasuke had teased poor Itachi about that after their first night together. “I may…also…have full sets of chains stashed in half the private rooms in this place…just in case…”

"That's rather thorough." Well Sasuke was nothing, if not creative. "It's a good thing that we'll likely have centuries, possibly thousands of years together at the rate you're going." He chuckles and smiles. "We can...experiment with those suggestions."

Sasuke smirks. “Oh, those are just a few of them, I’ve got a whole list that I’ve been compiling whenever you’re asleep. There’s a couple hundred suggestions on it. Nothing to do with bodily fluids.” Except blood. Blood was kind of a vampire thing to begin with. “But there’s a lot of metal involved. And leather.”

That probably had something to do with the era that Sasuke had been turned in. "Well I'd be delighted to have a look at your list later." He smiles at him. "Kakashi and his date should be arriving soon."

“Yeah…” Sasuke tilts his head, ears twitching slightly. “I think I hear the plane coming.” It was hard to tell, but that did sound like his private plane. He’d lent it to Kakashi for the evening, so… “They should be landing in about two minutes, I think.”

"Your hearing is exceptional." Even for a vampire. The words hung heavily in the air. "Possibly, though. We should go and greet them."

“Yes, we should.” Though Sasuke really didn’t feel like getting off of Itachi’s lap right now. His mate was just so comfortable. Still, he pulls himself away with a heavy sigh. “I suppose you’ll just have to get your cuddles in later.”

Itachi chuckles at that and shakes his head in amusement. "Yes, it's so kind of you to indulge me." Sasuke could be surprisingly cuddly when he wanted to be.

Sasuke shoots a dry glare at Itachi, then, in a juvenile act of annoyance, sticks his tongue out at his mate. “I know what you thought, and I don’t cuddle.” Honestly… Sasuke shakes his head, as he saunters towards the door, making sure that his ass sways just enough…

"I have no idea what you mean." Itachi laughs softly as he follows Sasuke and smacks his ass playfully.

The elder vampire rolls his eyes and waves his hand, the doors opening as if by magic. “Right, because I don’t wake up with you still snuggled into me, even if I like to sleep later than you do.”

He smiles at him slyly. "Well that is why I said it was kind of you to indulge me." Itachi was more than willing to humor the other man.

Sasuke huffs as he moves forward to lean against the giant door frame. “Smartass…” But he loved his mate anyway. “…What did I do to deserve you…?” Because it certainly hadn’t been killing people.

"Well you Sired Kakashi, who Sired me." Itachi smiles teasingly at him as he kisses his cheek. "And then, there was just you being you."

“And then there’s you, who loves to be a smartass.” Sasuke shakes his head as the noise of the airplane grows loud in his ears. “Somehow, Indra predicted I’d fall for a ‘scholar’. Guess he must have been going on the theory of complementary opposites. A scholar to balance out the warrior and all that.”

Itachi wouldn't say that exactly. "I wouldn't sell yourself short. You wouldn't have been able to translate so many texts if you weren't an academic yourself." He smiles and kisses Sasuke's cheek once more.

“To pass the time, and because I have the ability to be.” But Sasuke was more naturally disposed towards fighting, it’s what he’d been raised to do, and for a while, it’s what he’d enjoyed most. “But…despite everything that tells me that I shouldn’t…there’s still a part of me that misses being able to fight. My intelligence aside, there’s not much use for a warrior in this age. Not one like me, anyway.”

"I wouldn't say that." Itachi smirks at him. "I certainly have a use for your marvelous physical prowess, particularly when you're laying naked and flat on your back."

Sasuke barely resists the urge to shudder at the sound of those words. “…Careful, or you’re going to get me going right before Kakashi gets here. And unless you want him watching us, you might not want to say anything that will make me jump you.” Though he was sorely tempted to do it anyway, even with two figures approaching the gates in the growing darkness.

"Promises, promises." Itachi smiles as he watches the figures approach them. "Welcome. I'm Itachi and this is my Mate, Sasuke." He strides over to Anko and Kakashi. "And I'm also Kakashi's Childe."

Sasuke looks Anko up and down, taking in the sight of spiky hair, dark eyes, and…well, nothing objectionable, he supposed. Though there was a strong smell of perfume about her that unsettled him a bit. “Sasuke Uchiha. I am the lord of this estate.” As was his birthright, of course.

“Yes, now stop being scary, Sasuke.” Kakashi smiles jovially. “A frown doesn’t suit you, and I’m sure that Itachi agrees.”

Itachi smiles and holds Sasuke's hand. "My beloved is just being stately is all." He chuckles. "At least he isn't coming at you with a katana to prove you’re worthy."

Anko was sure that Sasuke would be coming at her with more than that, if he knew the truth. "That's good to know." Meeting them only made it worse. They'd all be dead or kidnapped soon, except for maybe Kakashi.

The eldest vampire huffs quietly, his cool demeanor ruined by his kind-hearted little mate. “Whatever…come in, then.”

Kakashi chuckles at his Sire’s antics. “You never change, Sasuke. Always so determined to be cold and stoic.”

It was adorable when he sulked, truly. Itachi muses as he follows them all inside.

"Well he seems to have gotten that act down." Anko smiles as she walks alongside Kakashi. "I'm Anko." She'd introduce herself, it wouldn't matter in the end.

“Right… And I wouldn’t have a go at her with a katana.” What kind of idiot did they think Sasuke was? “I prefer using a chokuto to a katana. There’s no guard to get in the way.”

Anko gulps nervously at that. "Good to know." This vampire certainly wasn't playing around. That was for damn sure.

“Don’t worry.” Kakashi wraps his arm around Anko’s waist, pulling her close. “I’ll protect you from the big bad vampire ninja.” Who would have thought that the woman would be so nervous around his Sire. Well, then again, his sire was nearly four times her age, so perhaps it was only to be expected.

"My hero." She laughs as she snuggles up against him. "I’m fortunate to have such a gallant samurai at my side. " It was just unfortunate, that at best...he'd never see her again after all this and Kakashi would never know the reason why.

Itachi laughs at that. "Well I suppose that's one way to look at it." He adored his Sire, but he doubted there was much Kakashi could have done against Sasuke other than hold him off long enough for someone to escape. After all, Sasuke was older than him.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and leads them into the sitting room, where large, plush couches are arranged around a circular coffee table. “No one is killing anyone.” Not tonight. “It would take forever to get the bloodstains out of the floor.” He would know, it had been a bitch after the last time.

"My love, has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words?" Itachi chuckles as he sits down next to his Mate and Anko does likewise with Kakashi.

“Yes, you have, when we’re in bed and I’m whispering filthy things in your ear.” Or when he was screaming Itachi’s name. But Kakashi didn’t need to know that part.

Anko chuckles as she watches Itachi's face turn a deep shade of red. "S-Sasuke!" She wished that she didn't have to separate the two, but it was her duty to do so.

Sasuke smirks, leaning down to lay across Itachi’s lap. “Yes, Itachi?” He raises an eyebrow, challenging his mate to contradict him. “Is something wrong?”

Kakashi watches the two interact with a happy gleam in his eye. His Sire looked happier now than he’d been in a long time, and it was both a thrill and a relief to see.

"Nothing. I just didn't realize you were such an exhibitionist." Itachi knew that he was never going to stop blushing.

“I’m not, you’re just so sweet when you blush.” Sasuke chuckles as he reaches up and brushes a bang behind his mate’s ear. “That, and it’s amusing to make your cheeks turn pink.”

Which naturally only made Itachi blush more. "Well you two are cute together." Anko's voice dimly registers at the back of Itachi's mind as his Mate teases him.

The silver-haired vampires chuckles as his Sire grumbles about not being cute. “So, I know that the rest of the ‘coven’ is here. How long will it be before we should expect the last member to arrive?”

Now that distracts Sasuke from sulking about being called cute. “Morning. He sent me his itinerary earlier. Apparently, he’s flying in from Spain.”

"The last member?" Anko looks at Kakashi in confusion. Hmm. This was an unforeseen complication.

“Yes.” Kakashi nods sagely. “He is a very powerful vampire. Maybe, you’ll get to meet him, if you stay the night.” Though he could hardly blame the woman if her job took her away again, she did seem to have an awfully busy schedule.

The way Anko tensed at that question made Itachi wary. He didn't know why, but the woman looked almost afraid.

"We'll have to see what happens." She smiles at Kakashi. Anko was now smiling and it had only been for a moment though. So Itachi wasn't sure whether or not he had imagined it. At least, he hoped he’d imagined it.


	18. Chapter 18

Sasuke sighs, his gaze darkening as he concludes with his explanation of the situation, mostly, catching Kakashi up on what he had and hadn’t found thus far. “I’m sorry that you got dragged into all of this Kakashi. You and Itachi…” He should have dealt with Orochimaru a long time ago, no matter how that might have ended. If he had…then Itachi wouldn’t be in danger now.

"It would have happened eventually." Kakashi shakes his head. "Orochimaru was obsessed with you and he knew I was your childe. This was always a possibility."

“I know, but I’ve had four hundred years to do…something about him.” Even if, had he attempted as a fledgling, he would certainly have died. Still, that would have at least solved some of the problem, no matter how morbid those thoughts could turn. “He’s after Itachi in order to get to me, which in turn, will get to Indra. He’s jealous of Indra…his power, and of the way he doted on me.”

Orochimaru, for all of his bluster, really wanted to have the power Sasuke inherited from Indra. He’d wanted to be sired by someone powerful, and Sasuke had. So, what do you do when you can’t touch the object of your hatred, your envy, your admiration? You go after their precious one, and make them both suffer.

Kakashi sighs as he embraces Sasuke. "The fault lays with him and his jealousy, not with you and not with Indra." He smiles at him. "He'll be nothing more than an unpleasant memory soon enough. It's only because Indra didn't consider him worth killing, that he's still alive."

“Yeah, but now, it’s not going to be Indra who kills him.” No, Sasuke was going to rip that snake to pieces. And he was going to ENJOY it.

"I should very much like to see you tear him apart." Kakashi smirks at that thought.

“Well, I still have your armor tucked away in the armory behind the back panel of the dojo.” Sasuke was sentimental like that, he didn’t want to throw out such a large part of his childe’s identity, even as his childe was moving on into the modern era.

He wasn't entirely sure it was very practical in this era. "Well, no harm in seeing if it still fits." He smiles at Sasuke. "Shall we?"

Sasuke smiles at the thought of going into battle with his childe again. “Yes, we shall.” Besides, he had armor and weapons of his own that needed some last minute adjustments. After all, if he was going to tear Orochimaru apart, he was going to be traditional about it.

Kakashi goes with Sasuke to retrieve his armor. "It's been a long time since I had any reason to wear this." He chuckles as he looks it over.

The ninja nods, glancing at the sewn, overlapping plates of red and blue armor. It had been a long time since he’d see Kakashi wear it. And for good reason. After the Boshin War, they’d had little reason to put on their battle regalia.

His own, however, consisted mainly of cloth, with thin, blackened plates of armor covering only the most vital places. It was a style unique to the clan, but practical, as the plates overlapped to provide flexibility, but were concealed by a second layer of tight clothing, leaving no excess bulk, save for the slightly looser third layer of black cloth. Easy to put on, easy to take off, and easy to move in. It was clothing of convenience, not fashion. It was not meant to make a statement, but to allow a statement to be made by actions.

"I can see you're rather pleased to be in your old armor." He chuckles and smiles at him. "It suits you. Though it'll look even better covered in Orochimaru's blood."

“It won’t show much on the black. But…” Sasuke reaches for the snowy white porcelain mask, fashioned into the shape of a hawk’s beak, with feather-like stylizations along the edges. “It will show on this.” The red and purple markings adorning it shone against the pure white of the mask, depicting a hawk screeching, swooping down on its prey.

He nods at that. "Well try not to let your character overtake you for too long." Kakashi smiles at him. "I do believe your Mate prefers the more mellow you."

“…I know.” Sasuke knew that Itachi hadn’t seen this side of him, not yet. And it was not one that he enjoyed showing to people. Kakashi…well, this was how they had met. The both of them, proud warriors. But Itachi… “He’s still so innocent. And I plan to keep it that way for as long as I can. There’s no need for him to get blood on his hands.”

"I feel exactly the same way." The silver haired vampire sighs. Though he had a feeling they wouldn't be able to protect him for long. "Though I think fate has other plans for him. Just try not to plunge too deeply into that darkness. You have someone waiting for you on the other side now, besides me and Indra." He pauses and adds. "Oh and of course, Suigetsu, Karin, Jugo, and Aoda."

“…” Yes, he had to remember to pull himself out of that darkness when all of this was over. It was going to be hard, but…with Itachi waiting for him, Sasuke was sure he could manage that much. “I will do whatever I must for Itachi’s sake. Even if that means plunging back into that darkness, and then dragging myself back out of it.”

Kakashi places his hand on the other man's shoulder. "Good. I'm glad." The other vampire smiles at him. "He loves you, you know?"

Sasuke’s eyes darken as he stares at the mask in his hands. “I know. And it’s for him that I’m doing this.” Orochimaru had forced his hand, and now, all of this was going to end. “There’s…still one more thing I need to do.”

"And what is that?" His Childe looks at him anxiously.

“Feed.” If Sasuke was going to fight Orochimaru, then he needed to feed. He needed to gorge on blood as he once had oh so long ago. “While Indra tracks down Orochimaru’s current base of operations…I’m going hunting.” After all, even if the snake’s location proved elusive to him, did not mean that it would do so for Indra.

Now, that was an excellent idea. "True enough." He nods at Sasuke. "You can always feed from me and your bloodmate of course, but other sources of blood might prove helpful as well."

“No. I won’t be able to get what I need from you or Itachi.” Or any of his friends. What Sasuke needed now…was to hunt as he used to. To gorge himself on the blood of his enemies. But, as the shogunate no longer existed…well, Sasuke would just have to improvise.

"Alright." Kakashi looks at him with wary eyes. "Be careful though. You know that is flirting with disaster." He knew what Sasuke used to be like and he knew you couldn't get away with such things as easily these days.

“I know. But I also know what I’m doing, and I’ve been at it longer than you’ve been alive.” Even if one didn’t count Sasuke’s century and a half hiatus. “I know how to pick my victims, they won’t be missed.” It was, after all, something that he’d done carefully for two and a half centuries. And compulsion made it oh so easy to figure out who the real, truly irredeemable scumbags were. And serial killers…well, those were his favorites to put down, even if their blood tasted terrible.

"Very well." Kakashi sighs. "I'll be sure to keep Itachi distracted while you prepare for battle." It was the least he could do really.

Sasuke nods, tying the mask loosely around his neck, and allowing it to hang there as he adds concealed belts to his getup, providing places to attach his chokuto, a pouch for kunai and shuriken, and a few other nasty little tricks, and a holster on his back for a tanto. He was not going to go in unprepared. “I’ll be going to Kyoto then, I should be back by the time the sun rises.” Sooner, if prey proved plentiful.

Kakashi had a bad feeling about this, but nevertheless, he nods in agreement. "Alright. I'll see you soon then."

* * *

 

After initial introductions, the rest of the evening has gone by fairly normally. Normally enough that Anko knew that she should be worried. Still, when it became obvious the older vampires wanted some privacy, Anko was only too happy to use that excuse. "Perhaps, you'd be kind enough to give me a proper tour?" She smiles. "It seems my date is a bit busy."

“As is mine.” Though Itachi wasn’t particularly pleased about being left out of a conversation that was clearly about Orochimaru. And any conversation about Orochimaru was ultimately a conversation about him as well. After all, he was likely Orochimaru’s prime target. The best way to hurt Sasuke, and by extension, Indra, who would be forced to watch Sasuke collapse if anything happened to him.

Itachi was Sasuke’s Achilles’ Heel, and he knew it. “But I suppose that a tour wouldn’t hurt.” After all, Sasuke could hardly complain if Itachi was just showing Kakashi’s date around the house. “Is there anything you would like to see first? The dojo, the library, or the gardens, perhaps?”

"I'd love to see the gardens." She smiles at him. That would be the easiest place to grab him. "If you wouldn't mind." She felt guilty about this. Itachi was probably younger than her though. So she had the advantage at least when it came to brute strength.

“Of course not. I rather like the gardens myself.” Hm…now that was an idea. Sasuke had encouraged him to be creative, so as long as they could find a place where no one would walk in on them… He quickly shakes the thought away for now, and gestures towards the front doors. “You likely saw on your way inside, but the gardens surround the estate, so we’ll just make a full circle and come back inside afterward.”

"That sounds perfect." She smiles as she walks alongside him. "The grounds are so vast. It's amazing that none of you get lost." She had a witch waiting in the wings. The witch would make two clones. One of her and one of Itachi. That should distract them for at least a little while.

“Yes, well, I certainly got turned around here at first, the entire estate is…well, enormous, to put it mildly. And this is only the main house.” Itachi hadn’t actually seen every corner of the estate yet, only what he’d seen while chasing Sasuke around during their games of hide and seek. “It once held the entirety of the Uchiha Clan.” A fact that, unfortunately, was no longer the case.

Well, there was nothing to be done about that, so Itachi motions to a path along the river, cutting through the bright, vibrantly colored garden. “Shall we?”

She nods at that. "Yes, we shall." Why did Orochimaru make her do this? He'd had her do a lot of terrible things over the years, but this might just be the worst.

Itachi nods, walking by her side as he leads her through a first set of arches, and into the main gardens on the northern half of the estate, where it morphed from traditional stone garden, into the more typical hedgerows of rose bushes and long beds of orchids, irises, lilies, and tulips. For a vampire whose specialty was killing, Sasuke certainly did keep a lot of flowers around the estate. “I apologize for my Mate’s behavior, he is very…open about certain things, and likes to proclaim his possession of people rather firmly.”

"You don't have to apologize about that." Anko smiles at him. "If anything, I'm the one that should be apologizing to you." She didn't really know what Orochimaru intended to do with Itachi, but the vampiress did know that it involved separating him from Sasuke and that was bad enough.

“For being there as my lover embarrassed me?” Itachi rolls his eyes. “Hardly. And if this is about Kakashi, my Sire is fully capable of choosing who he spends time with without asking for my opinions.” He was too busy with Sasuke to give them, anyway.

"For everything." She sighs at him. "Had I a choice, I wouldn't do this." Anko looks at him apologetically. "I truly am sorry." With that being said, she moves to strike him with lightning speed.

Fortunately, Itachi had always been rather fast. Not as fast as Sasuke, but still pretty fast. And though he hadn’t really taken to his lessons as well as he probably should have, the martial arts that Kakashi had him learn could still prove useful, like now, as he grabs her arm, stopping the blow before it lands. “Anko!?”

Damn. Sasuke must have trained him. "I can't promise you anything, other than he doesn't want you dead." This would be easier, if Itachi didn't fight her. "You can fight me if you wish, but it's a fight you're bound to lose." She frees her hand from him and aims a swift kick towards him.

He didn’t want Itachi dead? “Orochimaru.” It had to be. Did he send his spy to get close to his Sire in order to grab him? He bends backwards to dodge the kick, letting it just clip his shoulder and glance off. “He’s your Sire.”

"Regrettably, that's accurate." She smiles wistfully at him. "It seems you're rather strong for your age, but that won't win the battle for you." Anko had more experience and she had strength on her side. Her mistake had been underestimating him and she wouldn't make that mistake again.

Yeah, he was REALLY starting to regret not taking his lessons more seriously. He grunts slightly as she slams into his chest, but he uses the impact to drag her to the ground with him, rolling her over, even as the dull ache of cracked bones pound in his chest, almost like the heart that no longer beat.

Anko sighs as she looks up at him. "This will be much easier on you, if you don't fight me." Her eyes narrow. "Not even they will be able to hear us from out here or if they do, I will win before they can find us." She snarls at him.

Itachi hesitates a moment. If he raised his voice and called out for Sasuke, he was sure that his mate would hear him. And, had this been before he knew that he and Sasuke were bloodmates, maybe he would have given up in order to protect his Sire and Grand-Sire from being hurt. But Sasuke…Sasuke would be crushed if anything happened to him. Or worse…go on the sort of homicidal rampage that he’d always alluded to.

And that was no option. So, Itachi raises his hand, apologizing in his head to his Sire, whilst preparing to reach in and rip this woman’s heart out. He’d never killed before, but…he had to. He couldn’t just let Anko run about, doing Orochimaru’s bidding, threatening the life and sanity of his mate. “I’m sorry.” He plunges his hand downward, aiming for the bottom of her ribcage.

She blocks his hand. "It's alright. I understand." Though he was delusional, if he thought Anko would allow it. "I hope you feel the same way later." With that being said, she uses her other hand to snap his neck. It wouldn't kill him, but it would knock him out for at least a few hours.

Like a light switch had been flipped, Itachi’s eyes darken as he falls on top of her, unmoving. Just like the corpse he was supposed to be. No twitch of the fingers, no indication at all that he was alive or undead. Just…‘dead’.

She quickly scoops him up in her arms and takes off. Anko knew the witch's clones would cover for her. At least for a while. "Time to get you back to Orochimaru." The vampiress looks down at Itachi with a guilty expression as she carries him off.

* * *

 

Gardens. Kakashi could certainly understand the appeal of going out to walk the gardens, especially for someone as thoughtful as his childe. And Anko…well, she was a woman, that was fairly self-explanatory, in his opinion. Save for those with allergies, there were few women who did not appreciate well-kept flowers.

The problem? Sasuke’s well-kept gardens were massive, circling the entire mansion. That made the number of places those two could be holed up rather large. And if they were walking in the same direction…well, that sort of game of cat and mouse could go on forever.

Still, Kakashi didn’t mind walking around the flowerbeds. He particularly liked the gladiolus flowers, the sword lilies. And though his Sire would never admit it, Kakashi knew that they were Sasuke’s favorite. “Itachi!?” Now, where did his wayward childe get off to? “Anko!?”

The clones were already in place. 'Anko' hears Kakashi and gestures for the second Itachi to follow her. "Kakashi?" The witch had done her job. They looked identical to the originals, sound the same, and even smelled the same.

“Ah there you two are. I was wondering where you’d gotten off to.” He smiles pleasantly as he ambles over to them. After all, his job now was to distract Itachi for as long as possible while Sasuke was out hunting. “How are you liking the gardens so far?”

"They're beautiful." Anko smiles at him. "Itachi was just telling me about your contributions to the garden." The clone was set up to act like Anko and to speak in generalities. The same was true of Itachi's.

"Yes, Kakashi does love his flowers." Itachi smirks.

“And you expect her to believe that you don’t?” Kakashi chuckles at the thought. “You’re more than a little fond of roses, yourself.” Beautiful flowers, but dangerous if plucked the wrong way, and prone to pricking the forceful or unwary hand. Much like Itachi’s choice in mate.

"I don't mind if you like flowers." Anko laughs as she kisses his cheek. "After all, it just means that you're a man who can handle a sword and you'll probably smell better than most." Her eyes sparkle with mischief at her dirty joke.

Itachi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Yes, I like roses. Though I could do without hearing about my Sire's swordsmanship." The clone plays his part to perfection.

Kakashi smiles amusedly at his childe. “No, you would much rather hear about MY Sire’s swordsmanship.” And if he could tease the time into passing, then he would do exactly that. “After all, he is much like a rose himself, isn’t he?”

"Kakashi!" Itachi blushes deeply at that. "You're impossible." The clone could even simulate embarrassment. “Anyway, where’s Sasuke?”

“I know.” And Kakashi took great pride in being able to embarrass both his childe and his sire. Though the latter was typically much more difficult. And his sire was precisely who he had to keep his childe away from. And he had one good idea as to how to do that. “As for Sasuke, he is currently meditating, but if you would like to join him in stillness and silence and boredom until Indra arrives, I suppose you could try sneaking into the dojo.” His childe hated meditation, thus, a perfect mechanism for warding him away from looking for his mate.

Did that vampire do nothing else besides sex and mediation? "I think it would be best, if I didn't disturb him." Itachi smiles at Kakashi. The clone had been implanted with some basic memories from Anko's observations.

“Probably.” Good, then this wasn’t going to be difficult. Distracting Itachi otherwise would be a challenge. “Have you shown Anko the library yet?”

"Not yet." Anko smiles at him slyly and traces her hand over his shoulder. "Didn't realize you were such an academic."

Kakashi smirks. “Well, even my sire has a collection of more…interesting literature.” He’d gotten through almost all of the sex manual stuffed away in there, but there were still a couple that Sasuke had yet to translate for him.

The clone vampiress smirks. "That does sound rather interesting." Itachi, of course, pretends to be embarrassed. "Lead the way?"

“Of course.” Kakashi chuckles as he directs their small group back towards the front doors. “So, do you like what you’ve seen of the house so far?” HE certainly liked what he’d seen so far. Minus, of course, that look on his Sire’s face earlier. But focusing on Anko for the time being was a much more pleasant endeavor.

"I like it very much." Anko walks beside him, making sure to sway her hips invitingly as she does. "And I can't wait to explore even more." Itachi walks with them, though he was obviously pretending not to notice the flirtation going on.

“Yes, exploring sounds rather nice.” Unfortunately, it would have to wait, as Kakashi was supposed to be playing babysitter for his childe right about now. And the library was the best place to do that, as he leads them through the halls and into the grand old clan library. “Now be careful not to touch anything that has the seal of a fan on it. Sasuke won’t be pleased.”

"That's alright." Anko laughs softly. "I doubt he was possessive enough to place a seal on you. So that works out just fine." Itachi sputters upon hearing that and his face goes ruby red.

“No, he has not. Though Sasuke probably came close a couple of times, just out of paranoia.” Kakashi chuckles, shaking his head at his bashful childe. “I apologize for Itachi, though. He’s still on the young side, and I fear that I may not have cracked enough dirty jokes around him to make him immune to such things.” Then again, there was no time like the present.

"I apologize for my perverted Sire." Itachi sighs dramatically as he places his hand over his heart. "I assure you that he only acts this way because he's besotted with you."

"Thank you." The vampiress smiles slyly. "Well that's all very good to know and I"m sure he'll get used to it soon enough, especially with a bloodmate like Sasuke."

“Yes,I’m sure that he will.” Kakashi smiles in much the same manner, smirking at his childe. After all, Itachi was hardly mated to a blushing virgin. Or an innocent teenager.

* * *

 

Blood streaks the corners of Sasuke’s mouth, hidden for now by the white porcelain mask. Twice over, he’d found suitable prey, and twice, he’d drunk until the blood ceased flowing. A third. He needed a third tonight. Perhaps it was fitting, then, that he’d found himself criminals. A murderer with no remorse, and a greedy drug dealer with no conscience nor family.

After all, with no particular targets, it was best to take those whose disappearance would benefit society. Those whom he could compel to tell him their crimes, so that he may have as clear a conscience as possible in…removing them.

And, in exploring the streets, he comes across yet another terror prowling the streets. Judging by the predatory look on his face…well, Sasuke knew what kinds of humans those were.

The vampire drops silently into the street behind the unsuspecting human, prowling the streets, searching for a victim. But tonight, he wouldn’t be getting another innocent victim. No, Sasuke would make sure that he didn’t. “It is humans like you that make me sick.”

"Humans like me?" The man raises an eyebrow at the guy in the mask. "You must be having a bad trip or something. You're just as human as I am." He laughs at him. "Mask or not. You should get your overdosing ass to the E.R. or something."

Hmph, arrogant humans. Sasuke removes his mask, exposing glowing red eyes. “Tell me…human, how many have you hurt?” Enforcing his will on another, it was a trick that all vampires could use, but some were simply…more naturally adept at compulsion than others.

He didn't know what was going on. The man's eyes were glowing red and he found he couldn't resist answering the question. "T-Twelve." What the Hell was going on? There was something really weird going on with this guy.

Twelve, of course, it couldn’t simply be five or six. The human just had to go for the double digits. “And you were looking for another victim tonight?” Sasuke already had plans for the man, but still, the questions were important.

"Yes." Again, he couldn't stop himself from speaking. He didn't know why. "What is your problem, you freak? What are you doing to me?"

“Compelling you.” One last question, and Sasuke would be finished with him. “Were you ever going to turn yourself in for your crimes?”

Compelling him. "What the fuck kind of trick is this? Of course, not." That would be stupid. Why would he do that?

“I didn’t think so.” Truly, these were the types of humans he hated the most. Everything he had done was under orders, or to remove people like this from the populous. And even then, he did not consider himself innocent in the slightest. No, not with the amount of blood on his hands. But he did not take pleasure in hurting the innocent. Not like this man. “I suggest that you pray to whatever god rules your afterlife, because you will be meeting them shortly.” His fangs lengthen, eyes burning a terrible bloody scarlet.

The man screams in terror and takes off running. He wasn't going to stick around and let this freak kill him.

Sasuke has hold of him in an instant, a hand over his mouth. Did the man truly believe that he could outrun a vampire? How foolish… He twists the thrashing man’s arm, nearly popping it from the socket as he easily subdues him. There was no need to handle with care. He would be dead soon enough. And so, Sasuke plunges his fangs into the thick, corded neck, and drinks.

“LET GO OF ME, YOU FREAK!" The man struggles and thrashes with all his might. "Let go of me!" He was in a fight for his life and he knew it, but it was one that he was also losing. Badly.

Sasuke clamps his hand down harder, muffling the human’s cries. His blood tasted terrible, just like the others. Like meat left with the salt too long, or a fruit that hadn’t yet ripened. Salty and sour, and nothing at all like the sweet taste of his precious mate.

The man's struggles eventually lessened until they ceased all together. He was no match for the vampire who was currently holding him down.

As the man stills, the flow of blood slows to a crawl, and Sasuke gulps down the last few mouthfuls that the man’s heart pumps to him before giving out. Humans…so evil at times, and yet, so fragile. Capable of wreaking great pain and destruction, and yet, so easily broken.

Sasuke hefts the man’s body over his shoulder, ripping out the place where his fang marks could be seen. He would dispose of the body with water, then leave it for the authorities to connect to those reports of missing and murdered people. There were no fingerprints, no hair strands, and any saliva left behind would be lost with the chunk he’d torn out, or washed away by the water, or even digested, along with the meat by the fish. Fire would arouse suspicion. But…the body of a criminal, that looked like it got attacked by an animal. Well, that could be easily bought outside of the city.

He DID know how to dispose of a body, after all.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celestia193's Author's Note: Warning for Orochimaru being creepy and gross. Not that that should come as any sort of surprise.

Indra finally touches down in Japan and from there, it wasn't a long drive to the estate. "It's even more beautiful than I remember." He smiles at that thought. He should visit more often. Now, where were his descendants? Sasuke, Kakashi, and Itachi.

Noise comes from the sitting room, the three vampires having moved from the library to the couches only an hour ago. Suigetsu, on the other hand, slithers in puddle form through the foyer, approaching the ancient vampire. After all, the younger vampires were weirding him out a little, but the older one…now that was Sasuke’s Sire. That should be fun. “Yeah, nice place, isn’t it?”

Indra raises an eyebrow as he looks down. "You must be Suigetsu." The merman. His childe certainly did collect rather interesting friends to say the least. "Sasuke did inform me that you liked to surprise people."

“That’d be me.” Suigetsu swirls himself into solid form, grinning at the ancient vampire. “And you’re Indra, Sasuke’s old man.”

He chuckles at that. "Yes, I suppose that is one way to put it." This merman certainly wasn't intimidated by him as most people would have been. "Where is my childe anyway?"

Suigetsu shrugs. “Probably out hunting down some bad guys to drain dry. Said something about going out to feed before leaving.” Which was really weird, because the last time Sasuke had done that…well, Japan was still in the middle of a civil war.

"It seems that he's preparing to deal with Orochimaru then." That would explain his hunting. "Is Itachi with him or did he stay behind?"

“Yeah, the baby vamp got left here while Sassy went out to kill some people.” Suigetsu tilts his head towards the sitting room. “Scarecrow and his new squeeze are in there too.”

Kakashi had a new lover? "How serious is Kakashi about this one?" The man certainly did enjoy sampling everything that was offered to him.

“Not sure yet, but the two of them have been having a lot of fun teasing the baby vamp.” Suigetsu snickers at the thought of Itachi’s misfortune. “Sassy started it, though.”

"Of course, he did." Indra shakes his head in amusement. "Well I'm glad to see that his spirits have been lifted." Apparently, they had been dangerously close to burning out before Itachi came along.

“Yeah, we’re still trying to make him more fun, though.” Suigetsu’s next goal was to try and get Sasuke to actually enjoy going clubbing. Hm…maybe the baby vamp could help with that. “Sassy’s idea of fun is either locking him and that mate of his under the library for a week, or…well, there’s gonna be headlines in the paper about murder, so I guess Sasuke’s into that, too.”

Well that was his childe. "I do approve of both methods of fun." Indra winks at the merman. "Though don't let Sasuke know about the latter approval." The last thing Sasuke needed was encouragement in that department.

“Yeah, I got it. His body count’s long enough without you encouraging him.” Suigetsu rolls his eyes, then tilts his head towards the sitting room. “Anyway, they’re all in there if you wanna hang with them. I’ve got a succubus to pull a prank on.” He starts to liquefy, turning himself once more into a puddle on the floor.

"Thank you." He swiftly strides off to find them. Indra wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to know what sort of prank Suigetsu was planning.

In the sitting room, Itachi has his nose pressed determinedly into a book, while Anko and Kakashi sit on the other couch, flirting up a storm. An amusing scene, really. Made less so, however, by the presence of Kakashi’s old armor, and a couple of swords sitting invisibly within arm’s reach.

Indra stops in the doorway, his eyes narrowing only slightly. "Kakashi, may I speak with you for a moment." Something about their auras was wrong. "It's about Sasuke's latest excursion."

Kakashi glance over towards his own Grand-Sire, smiling cheekily. “Alright.” He gently nudges Anko off his lap, much to the pouting vampiress’ annoyance, and strides over towards Indra, raising an eyebrow as he joins the ancient vampire just out of earshot. “Is something wrong?”

"You realize that's not Anko and Itachi." He shakes his head. "Those are clones. Orochimaru often employs clones made by witches to confuse targets."

Kakashi’s eyes widen in a moment of panic, before he calms in an instant. “I had a feeling that Itachi was more bashful than usual…” Fuck, then that meant… “…I should never have let them explore the garden alone.”

"Fortunately, I have kept an eye on Orochimaru for quite sometime." Indra sighs. "I know the location of his various hideouts. It's merely a matter of deciding which one He is currently utilizing.”

Indra hated to be the bearer of bad news. “And I’m afraid that Anko was sired by Orochimaru." He pauses and adds. "I've heard of her from time to time. She's on the young side, but shows great promise as a fighter." He shrugs. "The woman, from what I understand, nearly drowned when the Titanic crashed and she's been Orochimaru's reluctant servant ever since."

Kakashi was beginning to wonder why he couldn’t have a simple love life for once. Maybe Sasuke was onto something about finding a bloodmate and settling down. He’d been dating one of Orochimaru’s pawns!? “I would ask you if you’re certain about all of this, but…” Well, if Indra wanted to know something, he could damn well find out what it was. And Sasuke…

Shit. Sasuke. Kakashi’s gaze darkens. “…I realize that proceeding with too much haste could lose us their trail, however…Sasuke is due back soon, and has been feasting on blood tonight. When he returns to find that Itachi is gone…” Sasuke was likely to go on a murderous rampage, the likes of which Japan hadn’t seen in centuries.

"Yes, I understand." Indra nods and sighs. "It is a difficult decision. It might be best, if I just handled matters and we didn't alert him to this. You could say my flight was delayed?"

“Alert who to what?” Glittering ruby eyes, now burning scarlet with raw power, sweep over his childe and sire. Sasuke didn’t like this, when it felt like someone was being left out of the loop. And he especially didn’t like it when it was him.

Damn. That was terribly unfortunate. "Sasuke, it's good to see you again." Indra would have to find a way to smooth this over. "Now, I do not wish for you to panic. I assure you that we will bring them back unharmed."

Sasuke’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “…What happened, who is gone, and why are they at risk of being harmed?” Wait, where was Itachi? Why couldn’t he… “And why can’t I feel Itachi’s presence here anymore!?” No…it couldn’t be! IT COULDN’T BE!

"It seems that Orochimaru must have hired a witch to make clones of Itachi and Anko." Indra pauses for a second and adds rather quickly. "He wouldn't harm Itachi. The man is too valuable to him and they couldn't have been gone for more than a few hours at most. We will find them." He embraces Sasuke. "I do know where all his lairs are."

Itachi was gone. Itachi was… Sasuke’s fists clench, then relax as all expression falls from his face. “How long will it take to narrow down the location?” There was no point in racing around like a chicken with its head cut off. That would waste whatever time Itachi still had. Sasuke knew that. He knew that, and still…his heart felt like it had died all over again.

"I imagine that he's in his Japanese base." Indra shakes his head and sighs. "He wouldn't want to risk a long transport."

Maybe, but wouldn’t that be too easy? That would be Orochimaru playing on Sasuke and Indra’s turf. That was a dangerous game at the best of times. Sasuke stares blankly at his sire, his eyes full of only one thing. Bloodlust. “And what if he’s not in Japan? What if he IS in Japan? There’s more than a few places to hide a secret base in the country.”

"He is fond of hiding in plain sight." The ancient vampire smiles at Sasuke. "Which means, he'd go for the place you'd least suspect. Tokyo."

Sasuke’s eyes widen. “He couldn’t possibly be that stupid.” HIS old stomping grounds? That was just asking to be torn apart.

Indra raises an eyebrow. "Sasuke, it's Orochimaru." Of course, he could be that stupid. "Do you really need to ask that question?"

No, he supposed not. “Still…Tokyo is huge…” Millions of people lived in that city, and it spread out so much further than Edo had… “…Edo.” Would Orochimaru really go that far, just to spit in Sasuke’s face? “I need a map of Tokyo.”

Kakashi frowns. “Sasuke, what’s going on?” Did his sire have a clue to Orochimaru’s location?

"I know the approximate location." Indra shakes his head. "It’s a place that you know rather well. You spent quite a lot of time between assignments with the ladies there.”

“…Yoshiwara.” Sasuke grits his teeth. It made sense. There were a lot of old buildings there, and more than a few still housed operations that were…less than legal. Orochimaru would be able to hide there, and if he was smart, no one would be the wiser.

* * *

 

Orochimaru watches closely as the boy sleeps off his broken neck. Anko had been a little rough with him, but he would be no worse for wear when he awoke. Beautiful…the child was incredibly beautiful. He could see why that demon would want the boy for his own. But now, the foolish young vampire would self-destruct, and that infernal sire of his would be forced to watch the Oni of Edo finally succumb to his own ineptitude.

As he sits on the bed next to the boy, he runs a single pale finger along the ivory cheek, just missing the thick chain and solid collar locked around the boy’s neck. His skin turned white, and his tongue darkened, both effects of the illness he’d suffered before being turned all those years ago. His glowing yellow eyes skirt over the boy’s form, taking in the sight of this child in the body of a man.

But a child, he still was, and Orochimaru knew just how to train his children. All one had to do was instill absolute obedience in a child, and they would be perfect. “You will be perfect, Itachi Uchiha.”

Itachi had actually awoken a moment or two ago, but he was now laying completely still. Let his kidnapper believe he was unconscious. It was easier to gather information that way.

It was hard to stay still though. His touch repulses Itachi, but the vampire manages it. Thank goodness for Sasuke's irritating meditation practices. They were actually coming in handy for once.

Orochimaru raises an amused eyebrow. “Good morning, Itachi. I’m sorry that Anko was so rough with you. But it seems that you were…stubborn.” He runs his fingers through the boy’s hair, feeling the soft, silky texture. Yes, Sasuke likely loved running his hands through this when the two of them made love.

He knew then. This man knew that Itachi was awake. Maybe, playing dead for awhile longer would convince him otherwise though.

The elder vampire chuckles amusedly, licking his lips with a long, horribly dark purple tongue. “Playing hard to get isn’t going to help you, child.” He takes hold of Itachi’s chin and turns the boy’s face towards his. “But it seems that you are trying to be as stubborn as Indra’s little demon spawn.”

Bastard. There was no use pretending. "Indra never sired a demon spawn." Itachi opens his eyes. "Unless you consider all vampires to be demon spawns in which case, that doesn't say much for your own self-esteem."

Ah, such beautiful, defiant dark eyes. Orochimaru smiles at the child. “So, you do not know, then…the truth of your lover’s dark nature. Of course, I suppose that it’s only logical that the demon has not shown you his true colors. He must fear that you would leave him.”

Maybe Sasuke did fear that. Though at least Sasuke had never had to kidnap him to get his attention. "We all have dark sides." Though Itachi knew enough not to say such a thing to a vampire over seven times his age and that was including his human years. Orochimaru might come from a 'weaker bloodline,' but his age more than compensated for that.

Ah, how amusing, the child was so naive, so…innocent. Orochimaru would correct that with time. “You believe so, and yet…you have never killed a human, have you? You’re still so young, so…pure.” He trails his fingers down Itachi’s neck, tapping slowly down his chest. “I’m surprised that the Oni of Edo let you out of his sight long enough for Anko to take you without a fuss. If I were in his position…” His long tongue flicks against Itachi’s ear. “I wouldn’t let a beautiful creature like you out of my sight for even an instant.”

True, he hadn't killed a human before. Though at this rate, Itachi might very well kill his first vampire. "Where is Anko?" The vampire repulsed him, but Itachi held his tongue. As badly as he wanted to lash out or at least to insult this wretch, that wouldn't improve his chance of escape and that's what Itachi needed to focus on. Not the slimy feeling of Orochimaru's tongue against his ear.

Orochimaru chuckles. “Oh, do you worry about the woman who rescued you from that place? I haven’t harmed her, if that is what worries you. She is…one of my favorite pets. And though it has taken far longer than I would have liked, she has done her job well.”

"Good." There was nothing more to say on that matter. Itachi didn't want to express too much concern for her. That might give this abomination the wrong idea about his relationship with Anko and that could get her killed.

Patting the boy’s cheek, Orochimaru withdraws his tongue. “What a sweet child you are, worrying about your enemy. I suppose that this is rather like a moment of the beauty and the beast. We simply wait now for your beastly prince to come to your rescue and his death, or succumb to the centuries of blood, guilt, self-hatred…and that which brings to heel all but the strongest of vampires.” Loneliness and despair.

Itachi says nothing. As much as he would love to tear Orochimaru limb from limb, he knew that attempting to do so would be foolish. It'd be akin to a hawk going after Aoda. It just wasn't going to work. He needed to bide his time for the right moment to escape.

“Truly…you are a stubborn boy.” Orochimaru smirks as his yellow eyes glow brightly. He forces Itachi to look into his eyes, letting his power wash over the boy. “Tell me, has Indra yet joined his little demon?”

"I know very little of Indra." That was the truth. "It seems he goes decades between contacting anyone." Itachi shrugs at the question. Orochimaru did not need to know that Incra would be arriving soon.

Orochimaru frowns. Was the boy truly clueless? “I am well aware of Ootsutsuki’s habit of silence, but I also know Indra well enough to know that, should his little demon be in trouble, he will come to the rescue. Now tell me, has he arrived or not?”

"He hasn't arrived." Not yet anyway. "If he had, I doubt you'd be conversing with me." Because he'd be screaming and dying an agonizing death. Itachi felt the compulsion, but he was able to resist it. How, he wasn't sure. Stubbornness, maybe.

“I see. Then that gives us time to…get to know each other.” And for him to taunt Sasuke. He did so love enraging the demon. “Though, I do hope that your demon lover tries in vain to rescue you alone. I look forward to finally tearing that brat’s head off.” But how to enrage him to that point…Orochimaru did wonder. “Perhaps I could take your eyes and send them to him as a gift? But they are such pretty eyes…”

"If you were going to do that, you would have already done it." Showing fear wouldn't be helpful in this situation. "You've alluded to the fact you sent Anko to find me awhile ago. You've likely been planning this for weeks."

“Oh, yes, I most certainly have.” And Orochimaru did have many plans in place, along with an army of minions, just in case. “I simply wanted to see you before deciding what would enrage your demon the most. He is at his most dangerous when he is calm, but if I were to stir the waters…that calm that allowed him to perform his duties with such cold proficiency would vanish, and he would be little more than a rabid, bloodthirsty beast.”

"If you truly think he's such a bloodthirsty beast, I cannot for the life of me understand why you would provoke him." Best to keep him talking while saying as little as possible.

“Because I want to destroy him, along with Indra’s legacy. And because he has been a thorn in my side since the day he was turned.” A thorn that Orochimaru would be sure to remove completely, this time. “And as for you…I think that, once your bloodmate has expired, you would make a very good pet. Anko is talented, but she lacks certain…” He looks Itachi up and down, slowly, thoroughly. “Desirable traits.”

Wonderful. The psychopath was gay. Itachi says nothing to that. His contempt was obvious enough without adding words to it. No matter how hard he tried, it was impossible to completely contain the fury inside him or disgust he felt at those words.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that.” Orochimaru runs his hand through the long raven locks, twirling them around his fingers. “Don’t worry, I will be sure to train that rebellious nature out of you. You will be perfect when all is said and done.”

Itachi was tempted to tell the pervert to go find an over-sized doll to play with, but he bit his tongue. Well metaphorically, anyway.

“Much better.” The child was calming down now. “Now…what shall I send to that upstart to enrage him into coming? A finger, perhaps? It would be a shame to mar your pretty face, after all. Or perhaps you would prefer to choose?”

* * *

 

Within two minutes, Indra had them all on his private jet and they were flying towards Tokyo. "It will take us an hour to get there and then there we still have twenty-five miles until Yoshiwara." He looks at Sasuke. "We will find him. I promise you that."

“I know.” They would find Itachi, kill Orochimaru, and then bring Itachi home. And Sasuke would cut off Orochimaru’s vile head himself, and stick it on a pole for the crows to have. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Because Itachi was going to be fine. He had to be fine.

Sasuke’s fingers dance along his chokuto, held safely in his lap as he stares out the window. Somewhere out there, Itachi was waiting for him. And it was up to Sasuke to bring his mate home safely.

This was going to be a very long plane ride. Indra sighs as he looks out the window. Unfortunately, even he couldn't teleport. Still, this was as fast as they could go, and knowing Orochimaru, he would want to toy with his food for awhile anyway. They had some time. Maybe not much time, but some.

Not enjoying the look on his Sire’s face, Kakashi glances at Indra, deciding that now was as good a time as any to ask. “How should we approach Orochimaru?” He knew that Sasuke would want to be the one to fight the elder vampire, but the man was sure to have minions everywhere. “Perhaps we should proceed in teams or pairs.” There were bound to be a few older vampires that could be trouble. After all, Orochimaru had been collecting minions for over six hundred years.

"I imagine that Sasuke is eager to deal with Orochimaru personally." Indra smiles at his childe. "And I have absolute faith in his ability to handle him. So I believe it is best, Kakashi, if we team up to deal with Orochimaru's followers and assist Sasuke, if he needs it later."

“Yes, I suppose so.” Kakashi glances back at the three supernaturals chatting quietly in the back. “Those three will likely stick together.” And Suigetsu was nearly as old as he was, the merman could ‘handle his shit’ as the young humans said nowadays. “I would suggest that they help clear the way in order to get Sasuke inside, but I would be hesitant to put them in the way of Sasuke’s blade.”

“As well you should be.” Sasuke’s eyes flick to his childe and sire for a moment, before returning to the window. He would cut down everything in his path, and his friends should know well to stay clear of his battles for their own safety.

That wasn't particularly reassuring. "Alright." Indra forces himself to smile. "It seems as though we have a plan." He could only pray that they would get there in time. They had to. Sasuke could not handle losing his Bloodmate.

“Indra.” Sasuke refused to consider it a possibility in his heart, but his head was another story entirely. “…If…things progress to me losing control…” And he went on a bloody rampage that threatened to kill Kakashi and his friends. “Stop me, no matter what it takes.” Because that’s what would happen, if they were too late.

"If it comes to that, we will." Indra sighs as he looks at him and caresses Sasuke's cheek. "We won't let it come to that."

“It won’t.” But still, Sasuke was trained to be prepared for every eventuality. Even those that he wouldn’t allow to come to pass. Itachi was going to be fine, He had to be fine. Orochimaru liked pretty boys, so he wouldn’t kill Itachi, unless it was to spite him. Sasuke silently prayed that Itachi wouldn’t do anything to piss Orochimaru off.

Jugo sighs as he looks at Sasuke. "Don't worry. Itachi is smart." He smiles at the vampire. "He'll figure out a way to stall for time."

Sasuke nods slowly, not even flinching as the pad of one of his fingers splits open on the edge of his chokuto. It didn’t matter, but the tiny pinprick of pain was helping him to focus. His senses were open wide, waiting to feel Itachi’s presence as soon as he was close enough. But every second that the airplane was aloft felt like an eternity, the fear of losing Itachi slowly taking root, and those roots spreading through his mind like a plague.

The plane continues on its path a while. Eventually, it lands, releasing its passengers to a private strip at the Narita airport. "We're here." Indra smiles at him reassuringly as he gets out. "It's only a short drive now."

“Yeah, not long now…” Sasuke would reclaim his mate, And Orochimaru would have his vile tongue pecked out by the birds. “If we hurry, we can be there before dawn.” Half an hour, driving, less if they really pushed it.

“Sasuke…” Kakashi puts a hand on his Sire’s shoulder. “Itachi is your mate, have faith in him. He’s a survivor, just like me, and just like you.”

“…Faith has no place here. I just want that viper dead, and my mate back in my arms.” Sasuke touches the mask around his neck, the world around him starting to dim to nothing but that single goal. He could already smell the blood.

* * *

 

He could feel him. Sasuke could feel Itachi as they grew ever closer to Sasuke’s old haunt, right in the middle of his stomping grounds. Yoshiwara, where he would often go, for one reason or another, after dealing with one of the enemies of the shogun. It was both ironic, and almost prophetic that Orochimaru would choose to set up his base of operations here. It was his way of flashing Sasuke the middle finger, to take a place that held more memories than Sasuke cared to count and turn it into his playground.

But more important than whatever he thought of Orochimaru using Yoshiwara, or what was left of it in such a fashion, was the fact that he could feel Itachi again. It was strange, Sasuke had just grown used to Itachi being around, and it was only when Itachi’s presence disappeared from the house, that he noticed how deeply his mate’s presence had sunk into the place. Itachi was meant to be there, with him, not locked up by Orochimaru, subject to whatever horrors that snake could think up.

At least, that’s how Sasuke felt. But with the mask upon his face, Sasuke’s own consciousness was dimming, being replaced by the cruel, ruthless, merciless servant of the shogun, the one who carried out every assassination order he was given, the one drenched in blood, extreme, even for a vampire.

“He’s here.” The hawk mask slides firmly into place, tied tightly to hide every inch of the ninja’s face from view. The rest, hidden behind black clothes and armor, save for his hands, left bare so as to properly grip the hilt of his chokuto, and more deftly wield the kunai and shuriken stashed in the large, concealed pouch on one of his many belts.

"I know. I can sense him too." Indra nods at him. "Go to your Mate. We will handle Orochimaru's puppets." He'd slice through them like butter with ease. These cretins could not stand up to the might that was Indra. He had seen at least a dozen empires rise and fall and survived through them all. These were just drones.

“Yeah, don’t worry, Sassy, we’ve got your back.” Suigetsu grins and slaps Sasuke on the back. “You go get your baby vamp, chop off Orochimaru’s head, and we’ll have the way back out cleared for you before you’re even done dismembering the guy.”

Kakashi rolls his eyes at Suigetsu’s antics. “Helpful, Suigetsu.” It still boggled the mind that his sire could pick up such a boisterous friend, but Kakashi remembered well in his days as a young vampire, meeting Suigetsu for the first time, and being joined in battle by the vicious merman. Still, he was hardly the most eloquent fish in the sea.

"Well he's essentially right." Indra charges into battle. "That is exactly what we're going to do. He just was a bit crude in his description."

Kakashi rolls his eyes, following his Grand-Sire in his charge, unsheathing a long, deadly-looking katana as they approach the old red-light district, and immediately sense quite a few dozen vampires ahead of them. Well, it looked like the fun was about to begin.

After all, Orochimaru never worked alone. He always had pawns that he was willing to dispose of and today was no exception as at least a dozen vampires come flying at the makeshift coven with their fangs bared and guns a-blazing.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celestia193's Author's Note: Waring for blood, guts, gore, death, decapitation, and other gross shit.

While Kakashi and Indra take one flank, and Jugo takes another with Karin and Suigetsu, Sasuke flits across the rooftops, following his instincts, his heart, towards his mate. He was fully aware that this district had been renovated many times since he used to frequent the brothels, but there were some buildings, shrines and temples here and there that remained the same. And even a few of the old buildings had managed to last the ages, and several earthquakes.

And judging by the direction from which Itachi’s presence was coming, and growing stronger, Orochimaru was hiding out in one of the few buildings still standing from the era of the Flower Cities. Sasuke’s favorite. And it was just insulting, really, to turn this place into a den of evil.

Vampires ahead, fledglings, most likely. Sasuke wrinkles his nose. Orochimaru did always love having his fledglings around And they had a habit of causing no end of trouble. So he drops from the rooftops, rolling silently across the ground as he approaches the gates to the brothel, unsheathing his chokuto and holding it aloft. “…Come.”

Bang. Bang! BANG! Their guns were firing fast and furious as the fledgling vampires charge towards him. Clearly, they didn't think his ancient weapon was a match for modern technology.

They were dead wrong. The steel of the chokuto flashes through the air, wielded with vampiric speed and the practiced hand of a shinobi, cutting each bullet in half as they approached. Sasuke had always believed that if technology wasn’t broken, it shouldn’t be fixed. As was the case with those who knew how to wield a sword.

Besides, who did these fledglings think he was? Bullets, even if they struck true, were hardly going to slow down a vampire of his age. After all, they were no stake to the heart, nor powerful enough to rip a heart right out of a vampire’s chest, or to take one’s head clean off.

And it was because of this mistake, that within two seconds of the bullets beginning to fly, two of the fledglings also proceed to lose their heads, one of the surefire ways of killing a vampire. And one that Sasuke knew well, and employed on many an occasion. As such, the cuts were perfectly clean, like carefully sliced ham.

The fledglings kept coming though. In the background, the sound of screams could be heard. Clearly, Indra, Kakashi, Suigetsu, Jugo, and Karin were already hard at work. the scent of blood filled the air. So much blood it was almost like the days of his youth.

As bullets flew through the air, being sliced in half and redirected towards other young vampires, Sasuke quickly became a whirlwind of death, striking the heads off of anyone foolish enough to come within three meters of him. And for those special few who managed to get within three feet, he bestowed a special prize.

Reaching in with his left hand, and ripping the hearts right out of their chests, coating his arm with blood in the process. But it didn’t matter, for he was far too used to blood. So used to it, in fact, that in the instants between deflecting another bullet, and cutting off the head of another opponent, he would lick the blood from his hand, feasting on vampiric blood even as he battled.

Every drop made him stronger, replenished just a little of the strength lost over a century and a half of inactivity, the strength that he had begun replenishing that night, when he killed and drained the blood of thee incorrigible criminals. And now he would feast on the blood of Orochimaru’s minions as he fought his way through the front gates of the brothel and towards the front door, sowing a path of pure destruction on his quest for his mate.

There were even some older vampires in the mix, into their second or third centuries. Orochimaru must have started keeping them around to bolster his forces. He'd never keep an elder though. They'd be too close to his own power, too independent, too much of a control risk. Though these adults were far more challenging than the fledglings, having seen Sasuke's prowess with his weapon, they coordinated attacks. Gunfire from all directions to distract him as they charged towards him.

This…this was what the meditation training was for. To be able to simply let go, and then focus without focusing, to use instinct to observe and react in fractions of a second. And, as Sasuke whirls in a circle, dodging bullets, and slicing those that wouldn’t be dodged, he pulls his tanto from its sheath, adding a second blade to the mix as he digs his feet into the ground, his mask glimmering in the dim light as he traps one of the older vampires between his swords and the gunfire, sending her head flying into the air, black hair spilling across the ground as her head takes the impact of several bullets, before falling to the ground as well.

The would-be assassins all fall one by one as Sasuke becomes little more than a blur. As soon as they landed on the ground, there was a path. A clear path towards a door. Though it likely wouldn't last for long. Sasuke had his chance, and he had to take it now.

Sasuke races towards the door, tearing out the hearts of a couple of fledglings on the way, before racing into the near darkness of the halls. His high leather boots, more convenient for stashing spare knives in than traditional tabi, don’t make a sound as he flits through the halls of the brothel.

Itachi did not belong in a place like this, where Sasuke had so many memories of…the before. He did not belong in this place that Orochimaru had commandeered. Did not belong anywhere near that snake to begin with.

He spots a few more vampires within, darting up behind them and slicing off their heads in an instant, the sounds of their bodies and heads falling to the floor echoing through the silent corridor. He was close. Sasuke could almost taste Itachi’s scent in the air.

There.

* * *

 

There was blood in the air, Orochimaru could smell it. And it excited him. It seemed that he’d been found by the little demon. “How sweet…a family reunion.” And revenge. Satisfaction. Everything that Orochimaru had ever wanted to rain down on Indra and that damn Uchiha brat was going to come to fruition. Indra was a complication that he had foreseen, but would have to be fast in order to act against. First, however, was Sasuke. And the oni was on the approach.

Sasuke was nearby. Itachi swore that his heart skipped a beat at that knowledge, even if it couldn't beat. "I hope you still find it sweet when my Mate tears you to pieces." Itachi snarls at him.

“I wonder if you’ll still be so eager to see him when he arrives, drenched head to toe in the blood of just more of his thousands of victims.” If there was anything about Sasuke Uchiha that impressed Orochimaru, it was the sheer body count that the brat had racked up. And while he was still human, no less. When he was turned, that number only skyrocketed. “A youngling as innocent as you…with a man who made his living slaughtering, lying, and whoring around for political ideals. An interesting match…” The pale lips curl into a smirk. “The truth is, Uchiha is far more like me than he would ever want to admit.”

"Did he kidnap someone's mate because he suffers from an inferiority complex based on who his sire was?" Itachi’s eyes narrow. "Because otherwise, he's probably still coming out ahead if we're comparing and contrasting."

“I simply wanted a better mentor, someone whose power was worthy of me. I approached Indra, ready to serve him, learn from him, and he passed me over to scour those pitiful human descendants of his, searching for a protegee of his own.” Orochimaru had been passed over for that brat. “And it’s unfortunate…that when I killed him the first time, he refused to stay dead.”

"And you couldn't have found someone else to mentor you?" Itachi seethes at him, his fangs bared. "You had to let your petty jealousy consume you and you tried to take someone's life purely because of their ancestry?!"

Orochimaru’s glowing yellow eyes flicker to Itachi, and he takes the boy by the chin, pulling his face forward as he bares his own fangs. “That is no longer of consequence.” His lips are pulled into a gruesome smile. “Now, I simply exist to revisit the pain and humiliation I suffered on Indra and that brat. And you are the instrument I will use to do that. You will break the demon’s spirit, and his death will cost Indra the one he loves like a son.” Love, such a foolish, naive notion.

"You can't beat Indra, so you target the closest thing he has to a child. You're little better than a cradle snatcher." Itachi bites him hard, tearing at his lip. "How pathetic to have wasted seven centuries on nothing, but jealousy. How fucking meaningless!"

Orochimaru snarls, wiping the blood from his face, and backhanding Itachi hard enough to crack his neck. “Insolent child. Obviously, I will have to put great effort into training you to be obedient.”

Itachi yelps in pain as he goes flying from the bed onto the ground, the chain pulled tight but he gets up. "I may not be Indra and I may not be Sasuke or Kakashi, but I have their blood flowing through me." His eyes flash red. "The power may have been diluted, I don't know. But I do know that it means something and you were sired by a nobody. That wouldn't have mattered, if you had cared to stand on your own two feet instead of on someone else's legacy though." He slams into Orochimaru. "You're pathetic. A leech. That's why he didn't take you in. Not because of your lack of pedigree."

“Why you ignorant little-” Orochimaru pulls on the chain around Itachi’s neck, tugging the fledgling towards him, and aiming another strike at his face, only to yelp in pain as a dark, triangular knife sails through the air and pierces clean through his hand. The only indication that the door had even been opened by one thicker shadow, lingering in the darkness.

"S-Sasuke?" It had to be him, right? Itachi couldn't see him though. "Is it really you?" It had to be though. He could feel him.

Hissing, Orochimaru drops Itachi back onto the bed, pulling the kunai from his hand and tossing it to the floor as the shadow steps forward, clad all in black, with the terrifying rendering of a hawk on a porcelain mask, covered head to toe in nearly a hundred different scents of blood. And from behind the mask, there slowly dripped dark red droplets that hung just for a moment from the figure’s chin. A vampire…one who drunk the blood of their enemies.

Orochimaru leers at the shinobi. “The Oni of Edo, loyal servant to the shogunate, and the man responsible for the deaths of nearly all who staunchly opposed them. A terror on the battlefield, and the nightmare that haunted the dreams of the people well after disappearing into legend.”

It was him. Everything would be okay now. Itachi decides now was the time to take the chance. He was still chained, but the chain did allow for a few feet of movement. That was all he really needed.

So he did the only thing he could think of at the moment. He slams into Orochimaru's back and sinks his fangs into him. He tears at Orochimaru’s throat, trying to create more of an opening for Sasuke.

“Damn you, brat!” Orochimaru curses, grabbing behind him, and trying to pull the baby vampire off of him and away from his carotid artery. He yanks roughly at the boy’s hair, nearly ripping it from his head.

Moving like a ghost, Sasuke flits across the room, slicing through Orochimaru’s fingers, and dropping the digits to the floor as he slams his tanto through Orochimaru’s chest. Not a fatal wound, but definitely enough for it to hurt as he pries Itachi off of the older vampire, putting himself between the two.

Itachi feels dazed. He was probably bleeding from Orochimaru's rough treatment of his hair, but he notes with more than a little satisfaction that the vampire wouldn't be able to do that again. Sasuke had sliced off some of his fingers.

The chokuto flashes in a shimmering arc through the air, flinging blood in a semicircle between Sasuke and Orochimaru. The sword, however, was not all that was in the air. In it, hung a powerful sense of bloodlust, and not all of it came courtesy of Orochimaru.

Sasuke’s muscles were tense, ready to spring forward in an instant. Itachi had been found, he had Itachi. Now…only one thing remained to do. “Orochimaru…” Sasuke’s voice, a dark growl. “Today, you die.”

"I was about to say the same to you." Orochimaru lunges at him, long nails scratching along Sasuke’s cheekbone. "I've waited for centuries for this moment." Today, he would finally kill him. He'd finally reclaim his pride.

Pushing Itachi aside and down onto the bed, Sasuke catches Orochimaru by the arm, using nothing but his physical strength to hurl Orochimaru through the air, slamming him against the fragile wall, and taking down all of the paper screens on that side of the room.

Orochimaru goes flying and tries to get up. "You will die today!" His fangs looked like those of a demon as he struggles to stagger to his feet.

Whirling around and cutting clean through the bed frame with his chokuto, Sasuke frees the other end of the chain, providing Itachi with new movement. “Go!” He completes with spin, stopping to face Orochimaru once again. “Indra and Kakashi are waiting for you!”

Itachi hesitates for a moment before he runs off. He wanted to help Sasuke, but this was something his Mate had to do for himself and so he would.

Orochimaru charges at Sasuke. He would either die now or Orochimaru would perish, but one way or another this would be decided tonight.

Once Itachi is out of sight, Sasuke, knowing to expect an attempt at a lethal strike, side-steps in a flash, his chokuto swerving downward and striking at bone, cleaving it as his sword passes through the tendons and cap of Orochimaru’s right knee.

"AHHHH!" Orochimaru screams in pain. It was complete agony to feel the tendons sliced through in such a fashion. "I will not die here!"

As the sword passes through the rest of the knee, Sasuke flips himself head over heels, cutting once more into Orochimaru, this time, at the elbow. Yes, Orochimaru was going to die here. But Sasuke was going to take his time. Orochimaru had expected an immediate fight to the death, Sasuke was prepared for both. He was prepared to block incoming lethal strikes, but also to return strikes of his own, meant to dismember the elder vampire.

Orochimaru had never felt such rage before. "How dare you mock me?!" Was the other vampire holding back?!

Sasuke wasn’t holding back. He was being slow, methodical, and using his knowledge of the human body, gathered over the course of centuries, to properly inflict this punishment. “You took my mate. You killed me. Endangered my friends. And tried to take revenge on my Sire.” He watches as Orochimaru, reduced to one arm and leg, struggles to stand up again, losing the futile battle.

He brings his sword down again, severing Orochimaru’s other flailing arm at the shoulder. “You called me the Oni of Edo, and for good reason.” He was a monster, and sometimes…he would play with his victims if they were truly the scum of the earth. He removes the hawk mask from his face, revealing the streaks of blood around his mouth from feeding on Orochimaru’s followers. “And this monster’s face is going to be the last one you ever see.” He severs the last limb at the hip, reducing the other vampire to nothing more than a stumpy body.

"I will fucking kill you!" Orochimaru hisses as he tries desperately to attack the demon. "I will send you straight to Hell!" He could do this. The vampire wouldn't die. No. Not tonight!

“No, you won’t.” Sasuke’s gaze turns to ice as he lifts his chokuto to Orochimaru’s neck. “Because thanks to you, I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been. Forced to drink so much blood that it makes me sick.” The blade gleams a bloody scarlet in the dim light. “And you…are reduced to no more than a snapping, squirming, pitiful excuse for a vampire.” He kneels, his sword holding Orochimaru back by the throat, keeping those still vicious, bloody teeth away from him as he reaches for the elder vampire’s heart.

"Die!" He snaps his teeth at him violently. "Die!" He wouldn't die like this. Even as Sasuke reaches for his heart, he struggles.

Sasuke’s hand plunges deep into Orochimaru’s chest, feeling around for the cold, unbeating heart. “Die, snake.” And he rips the bloody organ out of the stump of a body, raising his sword immediately after, and cutting Orochimaru’s filthy head from his shoulders.

As the body, or what’s left of it, falls to the ground, lifeless, Sasuke raises his sword once more, flinging every drop of blood from it, before sheathing it and picking up the severed head, walking from the ruined room with it. After all, he did have a promise to keep.

* * *

 

Kakashi had been reduced to fighting Anko, now that most of Orochimaru’s minions were dead. It was a battle he had hoped he wouldn’t have to fight. “Yield!” He still didn’t want to have to fight it, as he had to force himself onto the defensive in order to keep her safe. Not the easiest feat to accomplish, as only one of them held a katana.

Anko kept coming at him, fangs bared. "I'm sorry." She couldn't control her body. "Compulsion. If you'd stop moving, I could make it quick and painless!"

Well, dying certainly wasn’t on Kakashi’s agenda, so not moving wasn’t really an option. “Orochimaru will be dead soon enough, and you’ll be released from his command! So just…tone it down!?”

Her hand waves slightly as Anko struggles for control. "Just run!" Damn it! Why couldn't he stop moving or run away from her?

“Damn it!” Kakashi prepares to sheath his sword, ready to go ahead and tackle her, if that’s what it would take. But the sudden sensation of his childe approaching the ‘battlefield’ proves a momentary distraction. “Itachi!?”

Itachi races over to him. "Sasuke is fighting Orochimaru." Thank goodness, he had finally found Kakashi. "I think he is winning or he was when he told me to run. I didn't want to leave him, but he was insistent." Tears of blood stream down his face. Vampires cried blood.

Sasuke was in there, fighting Orochimaru alone. The thought nearly made Kakashi’s heart stop beating. Metaphorically, of course. “He’s what!? What happened!?” He eyes his childe with equal amounts astonishment and fear, then noted that there was a chain dragging from Itachi’s neck, bruises in the same location, and his hair definitely needed a good brushing and washing at the very least. He looked like he’d had a pretty close encounter with a sword too.

A bloody shriek echoes from inside the brothel. And then, a long, drawn-out silence.

"That's...Orochimaru's voice." Anko's stares in shock as she looks at the building. "He's...gone." She didn't feel the urge to attack Kakashi anymore. The compulsion had been broken. "He's really gone."

Kakashi breathes a sigh of relief, flinging the blood from his sword, and replacing it in its sheath. “Then I believe that Sasuke will be returning to us soon.” And though Kakashi knew better, that battle had felt as though it had lasted a lifetime.

Itachi and Anko nod dumbly. Neither seemed to know what to say. They were both just staring at that building.

Seconds turn into minutes, and from around the corner of the building appears one blood-spattered warrior, holding a severed head in one hand, staggering a little as he approaches with a blood-stained mask once more obscuring his face. The greasy black hair clutched in his fist…belonging to the pale, vile snake whose head hangs by the ninja’s side.

Anko wanted to look away but she couldn't. She felt as though she was going to vomit. The vampiress thought she had a strong stomach and she was certainly no stranger to bloodshed, but this was...on another level.

The ninja approaches, slowly reaching for his mask, loosening the bands holding it to his face, and letting it slip down around his neck. “…It’s done.” Sasuke holds up Orochimaru’s head for their inspection. “He’s dead.” Then, he reveals the shriveled, sickly dark crimson heart held in his other hand. “I ripped his heart out first. What’s left of him is lying on the floor in there.” It hadn’t really been a fair fight. After all, Orochimaru simply didn’t have Sasuke’s skills in combat. Few did.

Itachi sighs in relief as he throws himself into Sasuke's arms. "Thank God for that. Are you alright?" He looks him up and down. He honestly couldn't tell. "I hope...that's more his blood than yours on you." He was drenched.

Sasuke nods. “Only a little of it is mine. A few stragglers caught me on the way back. But most of it…” Well, actually, he wasn’t sure. “I must have killed at least a hundred vampires trying to get to you. They…bled a lot.”

He didn't really know how to feel about that. "Let's just go home, My Love." Itachi wanted to kiss Sasuke, but his lover was also drenched in the blood of Orochimaru and apparently, dozens of other vampires.

“Yeah…” Sasuke didn’t really want to hang around here any longer. “Let’s go home.” Besides, he had a head to put on a pike, as promised.

* * *

 

Well, the head was on a pike, even if Kakashi didn’t really think it was all that healthy, or pleasant, or…well, it just didn’t say very good things about Sasuke’s mental state. He’d seen the body, or what was left of the bloody thing, and he was pretty sure that even Indra was a little disturbed, in addition to being proud.

Which is why he was far from surprised when Sasuke went into the bathroom to wash up three hours ago, and hadn’t come out since, barricading himself inside. He was probably trying to scrub the feeling and scent of blood from his skin. That was going to take a lot more than just a little shampoo.

And his own childe…well, Itachi had seemed more than a little traumatized on the way back, and Sasuke’s exhausted silence, while understandable, clearly hadn’t helped. But he was at the very least diligent enough to get himself washed up in his own bathroom. Everyone had needed washing up after that bloodbath.

Still, his childe sitting on the couch looked more than a little shocked by this unfortunate, but unavoidable turn of events. “Itachi…do you want to talk about it?”

"There's not much to say." Itachi sighs as he looks away from Kakashi. "I should have known better than to go off with Anko. I should have realized something was wrong." The woman had seemed too nervous of Sasuke for it to be normal. "I fought her and I put up a good fight, but obviously she won in the end." His age was his greatest handicap.

Orochimaru was dead now, but he had reawakened something dark in Sasuke. "Orochimaru taunted me. I wouldn't classify it as assault, but he was either going to tear me to pieces or make me his plaything." Probably both. "He talked about cutting out my eyes or fingers, but he said my eyes were too pretty. That he would teach me. That he'd break me." He remembered it all with vivid clarity. "I lost my patience towards the end. I tried to feign submissiveness." It hadn't worked. Orochimaru had gone too far. "So I tried to attack him and that's when Sasuke showed up. You know the rest." What more was there to say?

“Well, we may be vampires, but that doesn’t mean that we’re immune to mistakes.” Kakashi had made more than a few in his own lifetime. “…And we’re allowed to be afraid, too.” Were Kakashi in Itachi’s position, he would most definitely have been afraid. “I know that you’ve seen a side of Sasuke that you never knew existed before, but…loving him means knowing that the darkness you saw is part of who he is, and that darkness has been there since long before I met him. No one will blame you if you’re scared, least of all, Sasuke.” Despite that… “I just hope that you can learn to accept that that part of him exists as a shield to protect those of us that he holds close to his heart.”

Itachi sighs and shakes his head. "I was aware of it and while seeing it was a bit traumatic, he's my bloodmate." He wouldn't abandon Sasuke over that. "I'm more...frustrated with myself. I'm always the weak link." He could negate some of it with training, but time was what he needed most.

Kakashi’s gaze softens, and he puts a hand on Itachi’s shoulder. “Time will come, though you’ll likely be the youngest of our family for the foreseeable future. But it’s not always your age that determines your strength. Intelligence, experience, training, and the ability to formulate plans, and remain calm, even under duress. These are things that can drastically increase the odds in someone’s favor. Especially for someone like Sasuke, who, even though Orochimaru had almost three hundred years on him, was simply better equipped for battle. It is what Sasuke has known for most of his life. And in that respect…you’re lucky to have grown up in an age where you were considerably more removed from having any need to fight at all.”

"I'm aware of that." He wasn't ignorant. "You can't deny that I’m going to be at a disadvantage for the foreseeable future against any of your enemies, Sasuke's, or Indra's, who are older than me. Usually considerably so." What kind of mate was he? He was constantly endangering Sasuke.

“Yes, you will be.” It was true, Kakashi couldn’t deny that. “But you won’t be forever, and it’s best to be prepared for the day when you will become a formidable vampire in your own right.” And with Indra remaining close, just in case, their coven had grown in strength. The addition of Anko, after being rescued from Orochimaru’s compulsion, was an awkward situation, but one that Kakashi intended to smooth out as soon as possible. “Besides, the fact that you were not turned on Sasuke during the battle indicates that, like me, Sasuke, and Indra, you can resist compulsion by older vampires. It takes a strong mind, and quite a bit of latent power to accomplish such a thing, especially against one as skilled in compulsion as Orochimaru.”

Itachi rolls his eyes at the last part. "Are you saying that being stubborn is a vampire superpower?" As if he could ever be tempted by that vile abomination.

Kakashi chuckles at the thought. “Well, it seems that our line makes it one. It’s either a superpower of ours, or we’re all just infuriatingly stubborn.” Honestly, it could be either. Then, he tilts his head, hearing the sound of a door opening, and another closing. “…Sasuke’s bath is over, it seems.” Well, at least he hadn’t found a way to drown himself, then. Not that that was possible for a vampire, but still.

"Should I go to him or give him space?" Itachi wasn't sure and he hated not being sure how to best comfort his Mate.

“Go to him.” It was the best choice, in Kakashi’s mind. “Sasuke has returned to a very dark place in order to bring you home safely. So if there is anyone who might be able to pull him out of it, it’s you.” And he shuddered to think of what might happen, if Sasuke were left to his own devices for too long. “If you have the strength to embrace and light his darkness…then you should go.”

Itachi nods and quickly strides off towards Sasuke. If Kakashi thought it was a good idea, it was probably a good idea to see him.

* * *

 

All was quiet in Sasuke’s bedroom as the shinobi moved about like a ghost. The blood cleaned from his skin and hair, his armor thoroughly washed, producing so much blood that the washing tub looked like the aftermath of the Boshin War, he still felt…dirty and sick. He’d thrown up more than a little blood, simply because of the sheer amount that he’d consumed.

But it had served its purpose, and now, Itachi would be safe. He would be able to live free of the shadow of that conniving snake. In the end, that is all that mattered. Everything else was just…numb.

"Sasuke?" Itachi slowly peeks into the room. "Are you alright?" He wasn't entirely sure what he would find.

“Yes.” The whisper of an answer was dull, toneless, and automatic, a reply that Sasuke had given thousands of times to hundreds of questions. Though, not usually while dressed in a sleeping yukata.

The younger vampire quickly saunters over to him. "It's okay." Itachi kisses his cheek and wraps his arms around him. "You did what you had to do. You don't have to worry. I'm not going to judge you for it."

“…You should.” After everything that he’d done, it was only natural that someone should judge him. Why not his mate? “I did earn my name as the Oni of Edo for a reason.”

"I don't care about that." He kisses his forehead. "You saved me, Sasuke and I went into this knowing about your past." Itachi had to get through to him somehow. "You aren't the villain in this story. Not anymore. Orochimaru was." He was gone. "He can't hurt us anymore. Leave it at that, My Love."

But he was. Once upon a time, he WAS the villain in stories. And Sasuke knew it. “Knowing and seeing are two very different things.” And now, Itachi had been exposed to his darkness in a very big way. “…You should be terrified of me…hate me…curse me…”

He shakes his head. "Terrified of your abilities, yes." Itachi places a gentle kiss. "I could never be terrified of you, though. Sasuke, I love you. I don't hate you and I would never curse you for saving me."

His mate…wasn’t afraid of him? Didn’t hate him? Sasuke felt both like a child hoping for approval, and a teenager expecting rejection at the same time. And the self-loathing… It hurt. It all hurt like a sword to the gut, twisted until it could move no more. “Why? Why would you bother with someone as…broken and twisted and violent as me?”

"I told you why." Itachi smiles at him teasingly. "Though I suppose you're the slow learner in this case. Because I love you." He rests his head on Sasuke's shoulder. "Unconditionally. Isn't that what it means to be a bloodmate?"

“Unconditionally…” Yes, that’s what it meant to find your bloodmate. Your…in human terms, soulmate. Was it wrong for Sasuke to prefer the latter term? “Yeah…” And, despite his reservations, Sasuke’s posture relaxes, and he sags a little against his mate. “I love fighting…but I’m so tired of killing…” He just wanted to go to bed and never leave.

"The killing is over for now." Itachi kisses Sasuke’s forehead tenderly. "We can relax now. Come to bed and I’ll give you all the cuddles you want."

…Cuddles sounded nice. “Okay.” Sasuke didn’t even protest as Itachi coaxed him over towards his bed, hidden behind the drawn scarlet and gold curtain.

Itachi smiles and lays down on the bed, pulling Sasuke into it with him. "It really is a beautiful bed." It felt like something royalty would have.

Sasuke closes his eyes, laying his head against Itachi’s shoulder. “Designed just like one of the styles of bed in a Chinese palace. Comfortable and private.”

"That sounds perfect, right about now." He runs his fingers through Sasuke's hair. "It's alright. We're both safe now. He can't hurt anyone ever again."

“Yeah…” The most important part, after rescuing his mate. Making sure that Orochimaru couldn’t hurt anyone else. “…When I found out he’d taken you…I was scared.” Sasuke’s heart…just couldn’t take it. “He could have done anything to you, and I might not have…” Arrived there in time, seen him alive again, gotten Itachi home safe…

Itachi kisses him and offers him a reassuring smile. "He could have, but he didn't." Sasuke was still traumatized by the experience as anyone would be and that gave Itachi something else to focus on. "You saved me. It doesn't matter what could have happened."

“It does…because I promised to protect you…and I failed, just like before.” It seemed like no matter what Sasuke did to try and protect the people he loved, it always backfired spectacularly. “I’m not strong enough to protect you. I’m sorry…” Worthless. He was completely and utterly worthless as a mate.

"Sasuke, I'm here." He shakes his head. "Clearly, you're strong enough to protect me or I wouldn't be here." Itachi smiles at him. "I feel perfectly safe with you. You're a very good mate. Don’t torment yourself so."

Sasuke’s eyes flick open, falling on his sweet, innocent mate. His mate who should never have to deal with the pain in Sasuke’s heart, but wanted to help anyway. “…You’re my heart. In every way, shape, and form…you ARE my heart.” And if anything happened to his heart again, the fragile organ might finally shatter.

"I know." Itachi kisses him and smiles. "And your heart wants you to relax." He snuggles up against him. "It's over now. I'm sure that Kakashi can handle Anko and if he can't, Indra will certainly think of something."

“Yeah…” Indra could handle things now. Sasuke was just…tired, so tired…and Itachi’s scent was a comfort as his eyes slid shut again.

Itachi sighs in contentment as his hands slowly drift over his Mate. "For now, let's just get some sleep." Sasuke had more than earned it.


	21. Chapter 21

Anko wasn’t sure what was going to happen now. She was back at Sasuke's estate, but she didn't truly know what that meant. Sasuke hadn't killed her yet, but that could be because he was more worried about his Mate than dealing with loose ends like her.

Maybe she should try to run. She was finally free of Orochimaru, after all. Anko could go anywhere. That would be the smartest move, but like an idiot...she still felt like she owed Kakashi some sort of explanation. So she was frozen to the spot in the gardens where she had been left to her own devices.

Quiet footsteps tamp down the grass as they approach the vampiress from behind, and the first thing to present itself to her is a beautiful white and red gladiolus, like a handkerchief dipped in wine. “My lady.” Kakashi smiles slightly over Anko’s shoulder. “You needn’t look so tense. My Sire is not going to harm you.”

She nearly jumps out of her skin when Kakashi sneaks up behind her and hands Anko a flower. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." The vampiress looks at him in confusion as she takes the beautiful bloom from him. "I kidnapped his Mate and your Childe." Not that she was complaining by any stretch of the imagination, but his reaction confused her. "Shouldn't you despise me? Shouldn't you be trying to tear me limb from limb now or throwing me to Sasuke for him to do so?"

Wait. Anko shouldn't be arguing about such a thing. "I'm glad that you don't appear to be angry with me, but I don’t understand." By all logic, Kakashi should be trying to rip her throat out, not handing her flowers.

“Being compelled by a monster does not make you one. Sasuke knows this, and knows Orochimaru’s depravity. And he is not usually in the habit of killing underlings in order to approach his target. Last night was…a rather special exception.” Kakashi sighs softly. “And while yes, I am angry that you took Itachi away from us, I realize that you had no choice but to do so, and that, were you to fail, you would have forfeited your own life. You are still young, and should not have been forced into such a situation. It is no one’s fault but Orochimaru’s, despite the fact that Sasuke insists on blaming himself.”

"Oh. Good." That meant that Sasuke probably wasn't coming after her. "I'm glad to hear that." Which was good because she liked her heart, head, and all her other body parts to be attached to her person and she wasn't eager to be dead, dead yet.

“Yes. Now…” Kakashi wraps an arm around her waist and tugs her gently towards a small clearing in the middle of the flowerbeds. “I’m sure that last night was as traumatic for us as it was for you. How are you?”

She couldn't believe it, but Anko feel her face heating up. "I'm much better now than I was five minutes ago." She hadn't blushed since she was a human!

“Oh?” Kakashi smirks subtly at the blush on her face. “And why is that?” She looked quite fetching with that pink flush all over her cheeks. Kakashi was starting to wonder what else might be sufficient to bring such an attractive color to her face.

"Well knowing that you and your sire are not plotting my brutal demise is quite frankly a relief." She was as skilled fighter. Perhaps, she might have a chance at Kakashi. He had the advantage of being older, but she knew she could punch above her weight. "Thank you for being so understanding." Against Sasuke though, she stood no chance and to imagine herself going up against the likes of Indra, well...it was laughable.

Kakashi’s eyes sadden a little for the young vampiress who seemed to think that circumstances beyond her control would be held against her in such a fashion. “You forget that I was born in an era where those who had done nothing wrong often died, often by my hand, simply because of who their master was. It was bloody and brutal, and not so…censored for the public eye as wars in the last century. I have seen more than enough innocents die, simply because they were carrying out orders that they had no choice but to follow. And that cannot compare to the horrors my sire has seen. Neither of us wishes for more blood.”

That was ironic considering Sasuke had been drenched in blood. "I'm glad to hear that." She smiles wistfully and leans back into him. "I know it must seem insincere now, but I wasn't feigning my interest in you."

Well, that was good to hear. He caresses her cheek softly. “Good to know. But, while the blush suits you, such a meek demeanor does not. Where has my sexy dominatrix gone?” Because Kakashi, despite everything, was quite assuredly still interested in his amazon. “Perhaps it’s just a masochistic streak, but I did find the image of you on a battlefield to be rather…exhilarating. Even if the circumstances were less than desirable.”

"In that case, you did promise to be my instructor and I do believe that we can probably find a pair of handcuffs somewhere." She smiles at him slyly.

He chuckles, leaning down to nibble on her ear. “Oh, I’m sure that we can find more than that.” After all, Kakashi did have his own room here, and Sasuke had made sure that some of the rooms were well stocked with…well, just about everything one could need for a night of wicked, wild sex. “The estate is quite thoroughly stocked in such…supplies.”

Anko shivers and smirks. "A man after my own heart. Why don't you lead the way?" It had been awhile since she had found a lover who had been...able to exceed her expectations.

“My pleasure.” Kakashi’s eyes glitter as he brings her hand up to kiss it. Perhaps today would end on an upswing after all.

* * *

 

It had been a long time since Indra had seen such a…what did humans call it nowadays? A clusterfuck? Yes, that seemed an appropriate term to describe the night they’d all had. Sleep was, of course, a must, and Indra was certain that his childe would likely be asleep for the better part of two days after expending that much energy and power. His relative lack of injuries attested to the fact that his ‘son’ had pushed his powers to the limits in order to reach his mate.

A mate that Indra had only briefly had the chance to see as they returned to the estate. After all, it would have been cruel to tear them away from each other when they had only just been reunited, even if there was almost nothing said between them. Orochimaru’s head sitting on the table was likely a ‘mood killer’ as the kids called it.

Still, it was his duty, both as ancestor and Sasuke’s Sire to inspect this child and see just what it was that had Sasuke so entranced with his bloodmate. He would not separate them, of course, he would never dream of doing such a thing. However, it was best to see to it that Itachi was prepared to deal with what lay ahead in the days to come.

To that end, he silently opens the door to Sasuke’s room, flicking the lock open with his mind, and stepping inside. He heard nothing, of course, as vampires neither breathed, nor beat their hearts. But he could sense them both clearly in here. “Itachi.”

Itachi pulls back the curtain and looks towards the door. There he was. That must be Indra. It had to be. He didn't recognize the vampire, exactly. It was more that the family resemblance was disturbingly strong considering Indra had well over a thousand years on him. "Indra?" The young vampire didn't even know what to say to his ancestor. His ancestor who was also his great grandsire.

The ancient vampire nods, eyeing the two boys behind the curtain. Sasuke was just barely visible, but clearly asleep. And he looked rather sweet, curled and cuddled up to his mate in that manner. “He will be asleep until tomorrow, at least. I thought that we might walk and get to know each other before he requires more of your attention.”

"Alright." Itachi pauses at that. "I'll leave him a note just in case. I don't want him to panic." Which was a very real possibility, if Sasuke woke up and Itachi wasn't by his side.

“Very well.” Though Indra saw little point. They were not going far, and certainly not out of the range of Sasuke’s senses, and neither would they be gone long enough for Sasuke to wake up. But if it reassured the child, that was fine.

Itachi quickly writes a message down on a sticky note and places it on Sasuke's forehead. "There." He smiles. "He can't miss it now." With that reassuring thought in mind, the young vampire follows his ancestor out of the room and towards well wherever he wanted to go.

Indra resists the urge to laugh as he leads Itachi from the room and towards a newer addition to the mansion, a lunarium built in the middle, where once there was just a small courtyard. “I can see now why you wished to leave him a note. It would be most amusing to see his reaction upon finding that.”

"Well there is that." Itachi chuckles at that the thought of Sasuke's expression when he woke up. "Though truly, it was the easiest way to ensure that he sees it."

“I suppose it is.” Indra had, of course, never done such a thing. They did not have these convenient sticky papers when he had been raising Sasuke. But, there were more pressing matters than playing jokes on Sasuke. “…First, understand that I do not disapprove of you and my childe.” Of course he didn’t, finding your bloodmate was a beautiful and sacred thing. “But your relationship with him is both heartening, and worrying.”

Oh boy. He was getting The Shotgun Talk from his ancestor. "Yes, I know." Itachi runs his fingers through his hair a bit anxiously. "I suppose I should be grateful that you aren't threatening with a shotgun yet."

“No, I am far too old fashioned for such a thing. If this were truly me threatening you with some sort of weapon, I would personally prefer a sickle and chain or a katana, myself.” But no, Indra was not giving that sort of talk. “In any case, you misunderstand. Like I said, I do not disapprove, I simply worry that you may be unprepared for looking after Sasuke. As you have no doubt seen, he is…difficult to handle, at times.”

"I’m aware of that." He nods at Indra, slightly reassured by that answer. "We're bloodmates though and we love each other. So we will figure it out somehow."

“Yes, I do hope for that.” Though it was not nearly so simple. “Sasuke’s habit of internalizing his emotions is a habit that has been ingrained in his mind since even before I first laid eyes on the boy. He locks them inside, and allows them to fester. And there are very few ways to force him to come to terms with those emotions. A spar is what I typically used, as it forced them to the surface and finally allowed for them to spill out, and his heart to heal. You, of course have more options than I decided were appropriate.” It had vexed Indra at first, however, Sasuke proved that although he was a difficult nut to crack, he could be cracked, when enough force was applied to the correct place.

Itachi feels himself blush. "Yes, I suppose so." He had a pretty good idea of what kind of options Indra was referring to.

“Good. You will likely need to employ them for that purpose at least somewhat regularly until he recovers from this. It could be months, a year, or more.” Indra was uncertain, as Sasuke’s mind was still something of a mystery at times, even to him. “Fighting and sex are very much most of what he knows, outside the academic sphere. So I would suggest employing those liberally, but when appropriate, and not tiptoe through your approach.”

"Yes, I believe I understand." His great grandsire was essentially telling him to fuck his Mate's brains out until he felt better.

With his advice delivered, Indra looks up to the vaulted roof of the lunarium, designed to let in the light of the moon and serve as both ambiance and a calendar. “Now, I’m sure that you must have many questions. You may ask as many or as few as you like.”

There were so many, Itachi didn't really know where to start. "Are you really fifteen hundred years old?" So he might as well go with the basics, he supposed. His head was now spinning. Indra was literally living history.

“Fifteen hundred and twenty eight.” Indra smirks at the child. “I was born here, less than a century after the final fall of Rome.”

"That's incredible." He could scarcely imagine that. "Do you have a bloodmate?" He must have to have survived that long without succumbing to madness.

Indra’s expression softens, and a hint of love colors his features. “I do. For…an eternity, now. And he never lets me forget it. Together, we have watched empires, kingdoms, and governments rise, fall, rise again, or scatter like ash in the wind. We were lucky, to have had each other since very nearly the beginning.”

"That's rather romantic." Itachi smiles at him. "I'm happy for you. My only regret is not finding Sasuke sooner." His bloodmate had been hovering on the edge, likely for decades or more before Itachi found him.

“Yes…and had I known of your existence, I would have come for you and brought you to Sasuke, myself.” It was an oversight on his part, tracking down Sasuke’s whereabouts, but not keeping an eye on Kakashi as well. “If nothing else, some family might have helped him heal. He was…never the same after the war. But I am glad that you’ve found each other before it was too late.”

He nods at that. "Yes, I'm glad too." So very glad. Itachi couldn't imagine a world without Sasuke now. Sasuke was the missing piece of himself that the younger vampire hadn't even known was missing.

“By the way…” Indra tilts his head ever so slightly as he scrutinizes Itachi, looking around his shoulder at his back. “Perhaps it is my imagination, but you appear to be missing a few locks of hair from the shoulder-blade, down.”

"That son of a bitch is lucky that he's dead." Itachi half snarls. "First, he kidnaps me and torments me. Makes Sasuke worry sick and apparently, he even ruined my hair!" Was there no end to the insults that Orochimaru would bestow upon him? Even from beyond the grave.

Indra shakes his head at the child. “Come, we shall fix you up and send you back to your mate.” And perhaps there would be time to bestow something of a wedding present on Itachi. After all, though this incident turned out well enough, in the end, there could not be a repeat. And Indra had ways of ensuring that it would not.

"That would be greatly appreciated." Itachi doubted his bloodmate would be too turned off by a bad haircut, but Sasuke would also likely tease him about it for decades to come, if he didn't fix this.

* * *

 

It was a good thing that he’d taught his brother how to use a phone, otherwise Asura was certain that it would have taken Indra a month to let him know what was going on. Or longer. His big brother did like more traditional methods of doing things, including extremely slow postal service.

Still, this sort of thing was all kinds of crazy. Orochimaru kidnapping his nephew’s bloodmate, a battle that left bodies all over Yoshiwara, and a need for a clean-up brigade to go in and make the necessary disposals. Things were never boring around Indra, that was for certain.

On the other hand, it was time to redirect the family, and Asura was planning on doing just that. …After some quality time with his favorite descendant. “It seems that your friend and his mate made it out of there in one piece. Well, mostly, it seems that young Itachi’s hair had an unfortunate encounter with a sword, but they made it out without suffering the loss of life or limb.” Which was honestly more than they really could have hoped for.

"Thank goodness." Naruto sighs in relief at that. "Though it's a good thing Orochimaru is dead. Itachi gets really crazy when someone messes with his hair." Not that Naruto could entirely blame him. It was very nice hair.

“Yes, my brother is trying to keep the child from having a temper tantrum, it seems. Itachi is apparently quite vocal on the subject.” And it was amusing, but Asura was certain that his brother could handle it. ‘Indra can also be something of a diva when it comes to that sort of thing, so I imagine that everything will work out just fine.” More importantly… “How much of Orochimaru’s network has been uncovered?”

He'd rather talk about the hair thing. "Quite a bit." Orochimaru's network was definitely not a pleasant subject. "We could seriously spend decades eradicating it." And that was a fairly charitable estimate.

“Well, we have decades and my brother.” And Asura knew that pissing off Indra was a good way to get sent straight to the underworld. “I’m sure that if we dig deep enough, we’ll root out enough dirty laundry that my brother can have a field day…‘washing’ it.”

"Yeah." Naruto shakes his head. "That's still a lot of dirty laundry though." Even by their standards.

“Well, you would expect a snake to have quite a lot to hide.” Normally, Asura didn’t mind snakes. But this one in particular…not so much. “Perhaps we should set Kushina on them, that would certainly bring in some rather fast results.” And be hilarious to watch. The fiery redhead was easily one of the most lively vampires in the clan. The second, Naruto himself.

Naruto laughs at that image. "Yeah. That would probably put the fear of God into them." Or the fear of demons anyway. Messing with redheaded vampires was a bad idea.

“Yes, it certainly would.” And Asura was sorely tempted to set the entire clan on the network. Save for those outliers who possessed slightly more exotic shades to their hair, the majority of the clan were born redheads. And he could think of a few who would be…very effective in dealing with Orochimaru’s old network. “I could also place a call to your great-uncle and his friends. I’m sure that Nagato would be pleased to hear that Orochimaru is dead and that we’re ferreting out the rest of his network.”

"Yeah Nagato would definitely like that." Naruto nods in agreement. "So what's the plan?" This was going to take a while either way.

“…Wing it?” Asura didn’t really make a whole lot of plans. Masterminding intricate plans was Indra’s thing. “Or just get as much information as possible, send it to my brother, and then let him reach out across his larger network of contacts. But I imagine that a simultaneous series of strikes will be involved.”

The blonde vampire nods at that. "Alright. I'll see what I can do." This was going to be interesting and very, very bloody. "Give my best to Kakashi, Sasuke, and Itachi."

“Of course.” Asura ruffles the boy’s hair, smiling kindly. “And once this whole mess is over, we should get the family together for a celebration.” Including, of course, his brother’s descendants. They could use some parties to get those sticks out of their asses.

"That sounds like a grand idea." Naruto snickers at the thought. "We'll be sure to drink them all under the table."

“Of course.” Asura laughs heartily. If there was one thing that these Scottish vampires could do, it was drink an opponent under the table. The only ones worse were the Irish branch of the clan. And whenever there was a family celebration, Asura always made special time to make sure to invite them.

* * *

 

Yes…this was nice…Aoda quite liked lounging in the front courtyard. No vampires or zombies, or other unwanted guests were going to get past him. He would snap them up in a second, even if they tasted absolutely foul. Because protecting Master Sasuke’s home was his job, and no one was getting in the front door if he didn’t like them.

It was also an excellent place for a winged lizard to lounge in the sun and soak up the warmth that his vampire master wasn’t all that fond of. Honestly…Master Sasuke didn’t know what he was missing! Plus, the river was only a hundred meters away if things got too hot.

Yes…the perfect place in all of Japan to sleep…uh, guard. He meant guard the house.

Suigetsu was of a similar opinion. He was just lounging around. "Good job on sniffing out the intruder." He cautiously pats the dragon's head. "You did good." How did one reward a dragon, anyway? He couldn't exactly give him a doggie biscuit or something.

"Very good." Karin nods as she snuggles up to her Mate and Jugo sits by them. The half giant had gotten some muffins off of Choji. "Well it looks like things are finally settling down." Karin laughs. "If Jugo is snacking on muffins, it means the coast is clear."

The half-giant nods, picking out a blueberry muffin from this batch. “Everything has been quiet since we came back from Tokyo.” And that was a relief, because dealing with an army of vampire minions hadn’t been fun, to say the least. Neither was staring at Orochimaru’s head, when Sasuke brought the vile thing on board the airplane with them.

Aoda opens his scaly eyelids, eyeing the head staked to the ground out at the front gates. It smelled bad, but the dragon still derived a sick satisfaction from seeing the head of Sasuke’s enemy displayed in that manner. It served the snake right. “That snake smells of rotting scales. I am glad to have warned Master Sasuke of his servant’s presence.” It had likely saved Master Itachi’s life.

"Good dragon." Suigetsu nods his head. "So um if you don't mind me asking, how did you end up here anyway?" He doubted that Sasuke had just walked into an animal shelter and adopted a dragon.

Aoda rumbles softly, smiling a toothy dragon smile. “Master Sasuke found me as an egg, and raised me since I was a hatchling. When I grew too large to hide, he released me into the forest, and I made the wilderness around his lands my home.” There was not much wilderness left, but Aoda made do with what there was, and stayed close to the only parental figure he’d ever had. He had both the habitat he needed, and Sasuke’s companionship.

That was strangely sweet. "Ah well that's good." Suigetsu didn't really want to ponder what would have happened to the dragon otherwise. There weren't a lot of places left on land that a dragon could hide. "So you like it here then?"

“Yes. This is my home.” And Aoda was content with this place. He knew, of course, that there was a world far beyond their home, but he also knew that it was not a good place for dragons. So, he was content with staying here, where it was safe. “And now there are all of you, and Master Itachi here to play with me, too.”

"That's nice." Karin smiles as she pets the dragon. "You really are an overgrown golden retriever." Strange. she had never imagined dragons to be this mellow.

"Do you ever, you know, wish there were other dragons around?" It sounded like Aoda had gotten rather lucky, but Suigetsu couldn't help, but feel bad for the guy. He was the only dragon around at the moment.

Aoda tilts his scaly head, letting Karin scratch him right behind his shiny horns. He liked it when people scratched there. Oh, and under his chin, yes…that was a very good spot, Master Sasuke scratched him there often. “It would be nice to meet nice dragons. But I have never met another of my kind, so I cannot be sure that I would like it, just as I cannot be sure that I would not like it.”

Karin continues scratching there. "Well that makes sense." Suigetsu still felt bad for the dragon. Maybe, he should talk to Sasuke about it. There was a river that ran through the estate. A smaller amphibious breed could probably live there...

“Yesss…” Aoda rumbles happily, basking in the attention of the she-demon. This was the life. All of the wildlife in the forest, a master to come and visit him, and his master’s friends to give him horn scratches and belly rubs. This was the life…

"I forgot Sassy wanted me to do something." Suigetsu smiles at them. "I'll be back in a bit." He really needed to talk to Sasuke about bringing in a playmate for the dragon.

“Mhmmm…” The rumbling begins to sound like a purr as Aoda enjoys the attention. “You have talented fingers, Miss Karin.”

Suigetsu chuckles at that. "Yes, she does." She also had a very talented mouth when she wasn't screaming at him.

"Thank you." Karin smiles as she pets the dragon more and watches as her Mate wanders off to find Sasuke.

* * *

 

Suigetsu laughs a few minutes later when he walks into Sasuke's room and sees the vampire sleeping with a sticky note on his head. "Perfect. He'll agree to anything when he's half awake." So the white haired merman nudges him. "Sassy. Oh Sassy."

Sasuke stirs slightly, going from dead quiet and perfect stillness, to turning over and dragging the blankets further over his head. He’s always been something of a grump if someone wakes him up when he doesn’t want to get up.

"Good morning." Suigetsu grins. "It looks like Itachi is off bonding with Indra and I was wondering something." Yes, now was the perfect time to attack. "I was wondering if I could bring in a playmate for Aoda.”

There’s a minute of silence, before Sasuke groggily removes the blankets from over his head, and looks blearily up at Suigetsu with half open eyes and mussed hair. “…For Aoda?”

"Yep." The merman grins at him cheerfully. "He's been a good dragon. I think he deserves a reward." After all, he was such a good guard dragon.

Sasuke glares at his friend, who dared to disturb his sleep. “…Fine…no funny business, though…” The last thing he needed was to deal with one of Suigetsu’s pranks.

Did this count as funny business? "Alright." Nah. He was trying to help the dragon and if he got a few laughs out of it, all the better.

“Good, now go away.” Sasuke raises a hand, still very much half asleep, and flicks it, making Suigetsu rise into the air, and tossing him out of the room and onto his ass, slamming the door behind him.

"Geez." Suigetsu whines. "He's so damn grumpy when he first wakes up."

Twitching slightly, Sasuke finally notices the sticky note attached to his forehead, peeling it off as he looks around to find Itachi missing. So he glances at the note, frowning slightly. “He’s with Indra?” Strange, but…maybe not that strange. It’s only natural that his Sire would want to get to know Itachi. They were family, after all. “…Alright…” Itachi would be back soon. For now…Sasuke just wanted to go back to sleep.


	22. Chapter 22

After a rather enlightening conversation with Indra, Itachi eagerly races back to his Mate's side. "Hopefully, he's still asleep." He smiles to himself as he walks back into their bedroom.

Sasuke’s eyes flutter open just a crack when he senses Itachi entering the room, before sliding shut again as her turns over onto his stomach behind the dark red curtain. A curtain that pulls itself back, seemingly by itself.

He smiles and gets into the bed with him. "Guess you slept through it." Itachi smiles and kisses the top of his head before assuming the Cuddle Position.

The curtain swings shut again as Sasuke flicks his fingers and leans into Itachi’s touch. “So how was Indra?”

"You're such a faker." Itachi laughs as he cuddles to him. "Different than expected, but as I’m still in one piece, I think he likes me."

“Suigetsu woke me up.” And he hadn’t been able to really fall asleep again since. Thankfully, Sasuke had gotten over his initial grumps. “What did you two talk about?”

Well quite a lot of things. "Mostly us, how old he is, and his bloodmate." Itachi smiles at him and kisses his forehead. "Some other things as well, but that was the bulk of the conversation." There was no need to bring up Indra's warning.

“Hn, did you get the ‘been around since just after Rome fell’ spiel?” Sasuke smiles slightly as he nuzzles against Itachi’s neck, sliding an arm around his mate’s neck.

"Yes, I did." It was quite the spiel. "I take it he talks about he good old days often."

Sasuke smirks slightly. “When he gets going, he can tell stories for days without getting tired. That’s just the one he likes to start with.” He runs his fingers through Itachi’s hair, frowning slightly as he opens his eyes. “Itachi? What happened?” Something felt…off.

"Orochimaru happened." Itachi rolls his eyes in annoyance at his beautiful hair getting mangled. "Indra was kind enough to fix the worst of the damage. It will grow back normally at some point."

Running his fingers through Itachi’s hair again, Sasuke finds it ending around the shoulder blades, instead of well past them, and a thought occurs to him. “…When I cut off his fingers…” That must have been when it happened. “Sorry…I just didn’t want him touching you like that. He could have kept hurting you, and I had to get you away from him. I should have just cut his whole hand off…”

"I'd rather lose some of my hair than my head." Itachi kisses him and smiles. "It's fine, Sasuke. It will grow back." Besides, Indra had adverted the worst of the damage.

His mate was so kind…so forgiving. Sasuke didn’t deserve it, didn’t deserve to be treated so gently. “…Why me? Why is it that someone as good as you…is cursed to be with someone as terrible as me?”

Itachi gives him a look. "Sasuke, you aren't terrible or cursed." He swats him lightly. "So stop thinking of yourself that way."

How could he stop? He was blood and death and destruction. His appearance signaled doom. No swat to the head was going to change centuries of history. “You saw me. You saw what I am, what I do.”

"It’s what you do to protect the people you care about." Itachi shakes his head at him. "That doesn't make you evil." A little less gore would have been appreciated, but Itachi would always be grateful to Sasuke for saving him.

Blood gathers sluggishly in Sasuke’s eyes. Being evil wasn’t a requirement for being a monster. “I killed three humans while you were being kidnapped. Irredeemable criminals…I drained them all dry. Then, when I came for you, I paused…every so often I would pause, and drink the blood of the vampires I killed. I gorged myself on blood, because I knew that I would need the power to face him.” And it had worked. “…It was disgusting.” But he valued Itachi’s life far above theirs, and far above his own.

Itachi sighs and holds him. "Sasuke, you did what you needed to do and you probably spared more lives than you took." He wouldn't have his Mate thinking of himself like this.

The blood spills from Sasuke’s eyes, running down over the bridge of his nose and into his hair, probably onto the sheets as well. “I don’t deserve you…”

Itachi licks away the bloody tears. "Most would argue that I don't deserve you." He smiles softly at Sasuke. "So don't worry about this anymore. It's over, Sasuke."

But they don’t stop, the bloody tears just keep on coming as Sasuke cries silently. Never sobbing, for it was not something that a dignified shinobi, let alone an Uchiha did. But that didn’t mean that he could stop the tears. Everything just…hurt so much. He couldn’t stand it. His head hurt from the sheer amount of blood slithering through his veins. After the initial rush of power, he felt like he was going to explode, or vomit, or…something.

"Sasuke, you look like you're going to be sick." He probably had ingested too much blood. "Perhaps, you should go to the bathroom and just...let it all out?" It wouldn't be pretty, but it would get it out of his system.

Sasuke shakes his head. If he did that, he’d never stop, and he would be right back where he started. “If I throw it up, the same thing will happen again the next time I drink blood. And the next time…and the next time…” If he was going to live, he couldn’t do that again, couldn’t go through the stages of withdrawal and rationing, and the sheer humiliation involved with getting off blood, and then slowly getting back on it a little.

It sounded like it was going to come out whether Sasuke wanted it to or not. "Alright." So Itachi wouldn't press the issue. Nature would probably take its course anyway.

It hurt, though, but…Sasuke could think of one way… “Orochimaru didn’t feed you, did he?”

"No. Why?" Itachi looks at him in confusion.

His system would have converted all of the blood by now, it would taste good. At least, so Sasuke hoped. “Drink mine.” It could lower the pressure, take away some of the sick feeling. “It’s…more powerful now, potent. If you drink it, you’ll start getting stronger.”

Well it sounded better than watching Sasuke throw up for God knows how long. "Alright. Tell me when to stop." Itachi sinks his fangs into the other vampire's neck and begins drinking.

Sasuke’s hands find Itachi’s hair, his back, and hold him tightly as the blood flows quickly from Sasuke’s neck, far too quickly to be natural. He wouldn’t tell Itachi to stop, he would leave that up to Itachi, to take as much as he wanted, as much as he could. His blood would make his mate more powerful, he could share a little of his power with Itachi, and Itachi could relieve Sasuke of the pressure that threatened to burst open.

He was chalk full of blood. Itachi's fangs had barely pierced the skin when the blood started gushing as if it was an oil well or something. Itachi drinks quickly though, trying to relieve the pressure from Sasuke. It was powerful blood. It must have already been absorbed into Sasuke's system, but he was like a balloon that was filled with water, likely only a few drops away from bursting.

Shuddering, Sasuke sighs quietly as the pain in his head slowly starts diminishing, the pressure relaxing just a little with every gulp Itachi took. “Good baby vamp…” Itachi was drinking like it was his first meal.

"I'm not a baby vamp." Itachi growls at him as he continues drinking. Honestly, he wasn't a baby vamp. "How did you hold all this blood inside you?" He was like a waterfall at this point.

“Willpower?” Sasuke would shrug, but if he did, he would dislodge Itachi, and probably spray blood all over the bed. “Honestly, I just…didn’t really notice it. I needed the power, and that’s all that mattered. My blood density used to be higher, when I was drinking a lot of blood regularly, so I could hold more. I guess I just…fell out of practice.”

Yeah. That sounded reasonable to Itachi. "Looks like your blood density is still incredibly high." Still, he continues drinking, until his stomach began to feel slightly uncomfortable. "That's as much as I can drink without throwing up, myself."

“Sorry…” Sasuke presses a hand to his neck, trying to stem the flow of blood as Itachi withdraws his fangs. It wasn’t quite enough, though, and thin rivulets of blood spill down his shoulder and back. “…The sheets are going to need changing.” But at least he wasn’t going to end up puking all night long. It was so much better to have Itachi drink from him, than to just…yeah.

"It's alright." Itachi smiles at him and caresses his cheek. "Are you feeling better?" He hoped that he was because drinking more probably wasn't a good idea.

Sasuke nods slowly, blood still dripping from between his fingers. “It’s going to take a while to heal. It’s relieving the pressure the fastest way it can, now.” And that meant bleeding until his blood pressure came down. And that meant…very bloody sheets.

"Good." Itachi kisses his forehead. "I'm glad though we could always have Kakashi drink some more from you, if you like." That would relieve more of the pressure.

And drag his childe away from his new friend? Yeah right. “If you really want to get between him and that girl right now, you’re crazier than I thought.” He wasn’t blind, he saw the way that Kakashi looked at her.

"If you need it, he'll just have to deal with the interruption." Sasuke's health came first.

“No…I don’t need Kakashi.” Sasuke could feel the pressure diminishing quickly now, and he felt like he could breathe again, even if he didn’t need to. “…I do need a bath, though.” He could smell his blood everywhere. He’d probably spilled several pints of it onto the sheets.

"I'll go start the bath." Itachi smiles at him as he gets up and proceeds to do exactly that. "He's so damn stubborn." The young vampire shakes his head at that thought.

“Always have been, always will be.” Sasuke stumbles slightly as he leans against the door to his bathroom, glancing at the giant tub that was quickly filling with water from several taps that Itachi had twisted open. “Or did you not figure out that it’s an Uchiha thing?” His yukata was soaked with blood, utterly ruining the blue fabric. Oh well, he would just get a new one later.

"I've noticed." Itachi shakes his head in amusement. "Why don't you get in, My Love?" He looked so disoriented. The young vampire couldn't help, but feel bad for his mate.

“Yeah…” Sasuke sheds the yukata and removes his hand from his shoulder, letting the last wave of the crimson liquid pour onto the floor as the holes in his neck slowly close up. It was still uncomfortable, but he no longer felt like he was in immediate danger of puking his lungs out. Yes, his lungs. Because puking up your own organs would feel amazing.

Still, he slips slowly into the water, shuddering slightly at the sheer warmth of the water, and lowering himself into the filling tub as he sits against the side, leaning his head down as if to sleep. “…Join me?”

"Of course." He smiles and swiftly joins him in the tub after disrobing. "That's better." He kisses Sasuke.

“Yeah.” Sasuke kisses his mate back, nipping at his tongue slightly just to get a small taste, just a few drops of Itachi’s sweet blood. His mate. His mate who loved him. Who wouldn’t leave him. Even now…that he’d seen firsthand what kind of person Sasuke was. “…I love you.”

Itachi smiles at him. "I love you too. Though it's probably not a good idea for you to be drinking now." Even if it was only a few drops.

“I know…” But Sasuke was ever the reckless one. “I just…wanted to taste you. The other blood…it could never compare to yours.” It was disgusting, absolutely vile. But Itachi’s…it was like ambrosia, truly.

"I'm flattered." He snuggles up to his Mate. "Now, just relax and let the water wash away your cares."

“Mhm…” Sasuke snuggles back, not that he would EVER say it out loud, OR let Suigetsu walk in on them doing this. “Wait…” He frowns slightly. “Suigetsu said something earlier…about wanting to get a playmate for Aoda.”

"Hmm. That's news to me." Itachi shrugs and laughs. "Who knows, maybe, he just wanted to get a puppy or something." With Suigetsu it could literally be anything.

Somehow, Sasuke doubted it would be as simple as that. “Since when does Suigetsu ever think small?” No…the merman was up to something. Dammit, Sasuke never should have given his consent while he was still half asleep. “Remind me to never agree to anything Suigetsu says right after he wakes me up.” He’d only agreed to get the idiot to leave him alone.

The younger vampire laughs at that and smiles. "Yes, I'll remind you." Goodness knows what the merman was actually planning.

* * *

 

Guren. That was the name of the witch that Orochimaru had used to aid in Itachi’s abduction. This was one of the names that Indra knew rather well, though was surprised not to find her corpse strewn about somewhere on the battlefield. She was human, of course, as those witches who became vampires, though few and far between, exchanged their magical powers for vampiric ones.

Still, even if she was human, there was no chance in any of the realms that Indra was simply going to let her live. She was, after all, one of Orochimaru’s most devout servants. The woman likely required no compulsion, only the promise that Orochimaru would turn her before she fell from her prime.

Well, whatever bargain they struck no longer mattered, in the grand scheme of things. For the ancient vampire did not intend to allow the wretch to survive until the next sunrise. Such was the punishment for endangering his family.

Which is why, come midnight, he stood before a rickety old house, almost stereotypically what one would expect of a witch. He could sense the woman within, hear her heartbeat, smell the scent of a far too sweet perfume. It was truly nauseating.

But, as he was a classier vampire than most, he did the polite thing, walking right up to the front door, and knocking on it, certainly loud enough for her to hear. After all, what sort of witch went to bed before two in the morning anyway?

Guren hears a knock at her door. "That's strange." Who could possibly be calling on her at this hour. "I guess I might as well see who it is." She shakes her head at the thought as she throws a bathrobe on and some fuzzy slippers before doing exactly that.

As soon as she opens the door, her eyes widen in horror. "I-Indra." She knew what the ancient vampire looked like from Orochimaru's descriptions of him. Guren also knew that if Indra was here, it was likely she was about to die. That didn't stop her from screaming and trying to run though. Instinct was a powerful thing, even if it was futile.

He caught up with her in an instant, seizing her by the back of the neck, and lifting her a few inches into the air. “Guren, I presume?” She certainly matched the picture he’d found of her. “It seems that you helped to abduct my great grand-childe.” And judging by the way that the woman’s heart was racing, she knew precisely what was about to happen. “You are correct.” He smirks wickedly. “I am Indra.”

"Orochimaru was never going to kill him." She gulps as she tries to free herself from his grasp. "I swear!" These could very well be her final moments. It couldn't possibly end like this, could it?

“Perhaps, but that hardly matters when he sought the death of my own childe by abducting his mate.” Indra was no fool, he knew that Orochimaru wanted Sasuke dead. Well, that wouldn’t be a problem anymore. “Your beloved master is dead, and now, you will go to join him in Yomi.”

Guren screams and tries to hit him with a magical attack. A desperate effort to save herself from this demon.

The magical blow merely glances off the ancient vampire, and he simply holds her even higher from the ground. “Do you truly believe that such petty tricks would work on me?” He’d met witches far older, and far more powerful than her. Petty parlor tricks weren’t going to cut it. That, and he did so love causing fear in his victims. He found that their blood tasted much sweeter when they were terrified.

"Let go of me!" Her voice sounded shrill even to her own ears as Guren tries to free herself from his grasp. Death was imminent if she couldn't manage that much.

“Hn.” Indra snaps her neck in an instant, halting her struggles as he lowers he back towards the ground, down into his arms, in an almost…intimate embrace. Intimate, were it not for the fangs plunged into her broken neck as he drinks in the taste of terrified, magical blood. Hm…spicy, he liked it.

* * *

 

Kakashi was pretty sure that if he wasn’t a vampire, those scratches would never heal. Those who ever called Anko tame were ignorant, at best, and downright stupid at worst. “Well, you’ve certainly ensure that I’ll be wearing respectable clothing choices for the foreseeable future.” He rolls his little hellcat over, pressing a searing kiss to her neck. “The boys would never let me hear the end of it if they saw these.” He chuckles as he twists his arms, examining the dark red scratches there for a moment.

"You were the one who said demure didn't suit me." She smiles at the 'praise' and sighs in pleasure at the kiss to her neck. "Are you saying you would prefer me to be more gentle?"

He chuckles against her neck. “Not a chance in hell. You’re perfect just the way you are.” Fiery and passionate, and every inch the crazy dominatrix he thought she was. Alright, perhaps Itachi had a point about him being a masochist. But how could he resist when he had a lady who looked and smelled so…delicious…

She shivers at the feeling of his breath against her neck. "Good. I can be though." Anko smiles at him. "Though I suppose that I'm just used to fighting, even during sex and that's when I find it most enjoyable." It came with the territory of having been sired by Orochimaru. She had constantly been fighting in one form or another for decades.

Licking at her skin where her shoulder meets her neck, Kakashi tilts his head, tickling his lover slightly with his spiky silver hair. “Well, then I suppose it’s a good thing that I spent most of my human life, and a great deal of my immortal life fighting for one cause of another. Bringing that to bed simply makes it more exciting.” Gently, as opposed to her usually rather ‘enthusiastic’ approach, he sinks his teeth into her neck, wishing to finally know what her blood tastes like after hours upon hours in the throes of passion.

"K-Kakashi!" Anko gasps when she feels his sharp teeth piercing her skin in a manner she could only describe as gentle. "Well I'm glad you feel that way." So sweet and tender. She supposed that he really was something of a romantic.

“Mhm…” Kakashi’s eyes flicker open, glowing scarlet as the taste of sweet and spicy blood hits his tongue. Like good Thai food, or spiced rum, delicious, but with a hell of a kick. Something that very much suited Anko, and that Kakashi was certain that he could get drunk off of. “You taste delicious…” Even better than when he had her legs thrown over his shoulders, and his head pressed…yeah. It couldn’t even compare.

"I'm glad you approve." Anko runs her fingers through his exotic locks and nips his neck in return, savoring the taste of his blood. She'd never tasted anything like this before. "And you taste so good." It was Heavenly.

Incredible…her blood tasted even better than Sasuke’s. Kakashi blinks. Wait a minute… Itachi had said something similar, about Sasuke’s blood tasting better to him than Kakashi’s. Typically, there was very little that could ever compare to your Sire’s blood in taste. Except, perhaps… “Bloodmates…”

The man was certainly a fantastic lover. The best that Anko had ever had, but she hadn't expected that. "Do you really think so?" She tilts her head to the side. "You do taste amazing, but how can one ever be sure about such a thing?"

Kakashi detaches himself, licking up what remains of the blood. “You taste better than Sasuke, even at his most powerful. Dark chocolate and top shelf sake, an exquisite combination, but…” He picks at her spiky purple hair in wonder. “It seems I prefer the taste of rum and sweet and spicy Thai sauce.”

"Mmm that is rather specific." She smiles slyly at him. "I think that I'll take that as sufficient confirmation." Anko pulls him down for another kiss. "Shall we celebrate our discovery in the traditional fashion?" By fucking each other's brains out.

Kakashi chuckles kissing her fiercely as he rolls them over, planting Anko firmly on his lap. “I think that would be a fine idea.” After all, the danger had largely passed, and Itachi could take care of Sasuke while Indra tracked down whoever needed to die. Kakashi had time. Hell, he had nothing BUT time. “Shall we attempt to break my sire and childe’s record of a straight week?”

She laughs softly at that. "I do love a vamp with ambition." Anko smiles and wraps her arms around his neck. "Yes, I'm sure that we can make a good stab at breaking their record." And likely some furniture in the process.

* * *

 

The troll stares at the vampire incredulously, not believing his ears. “You want me to get you what now?” Mirrors in a dozen different shapes and sizes, and enough of them to cover a large room? What the bloody hell could he want with THAT?

"I want you to get me the mirrors that I have described for you." He raises an eyebrow at the troll's response. "I fail to see the problem. Have I not provided you with more than enough money to acquire them?"

“No, no, I can get them, I just don’t see what you could possibly want with THAT many mirrors!” Chouji flails a little. He was the cook, not some interior designer! Sure, he acted as steward sometimes, but that was because no one else knew how to do the job.

Itachi shakes his head and his eyebrow stays raised. "Do I need a reason in order for you to get them?" Honestly, usually Chouji was far more cooperative than this.

“Fine, fine!” Chouji throws up his hands in surrender. “I’ll get you the mirrors as quickly as possible.” If he ordered them from a home decorating store in Nara, they could be here by…morning, probably. “Does Sasuke know what you’re up to?”

"No." Itachi smiles at him slyly. "This surprise for my wonderful bloodmate."

If anyone else had said that, Chouji would be running for the hills. But since Sasuke often indulged Itachi in whatever he wanted, then maybe…just maybe Sasuke would like this surprise. Despite not really liking surprises all that much. “Alright, I’ll get you the mirrors. I know a place in Nara where a friend of mine works. She can get you all of the mirrors you want. And probably a thorough interrogation on just what you’re doing with them, but I’ll tell them to send the usual delivery guy and keep her away from the truck.”

That sounded perfect. Now, he was getting somewhere. "Good. Thank you." Everything was going exactly according to plan. Sasuke was going to love this.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celestia193's Author's Note: Mirror Lemon.
> 
> Ogopogo: The lake monster believed to live in Lake Okanagan, British Columbia (Canada).
> 
> Nessie: Lake monster believed to live in Loch (Lake) Ness, Scotland. Also known as the Loch Ness Monster.

Sometimes, Sasuke just wanted to lie in bed and sleep. Sleeping was better than thinking, because thinking meant that everything he DIDN’T want to think about was there, just waiting to be touched. So…sleep, because he didn’t want to touch it yet. And eventually, it would get easier to just forget about it.

And for those reasons, Sasuke buries himself in his blankets, trying in vain to go to sleep, even as his mind whirls unpleasantly. And if Itachi wanted to work on…whatever it was that his mate was working on, then Sasuke wouldn’t stop him. After all, Kakashi and Indra were each doing their own thing, so why not Itachi too?

Sasuke sighs, turning over and away from the curtain. He hadn’t had blood in a couple of days, which was a good thing, because he no longer felt like he was going to throw up. But these last few days…had been nothing short of the most emotional, and most stressful disaster Sasuke could remember.

That's when Itachi comes into his room. "Sasuke, I have a surprise for you." He smiles as he saunters over to his mate. "I think you'll like it." And it looked like it wasn't a moment too soon. Sasuke looked like Hell.

The elder vampire glances back over his shoulder at his mate. “What kind of surprise?” He had to remind himself that this was not Suigetsu, and therefore, he should not be running for the hills just because someone said surprise.

"Oh one that I think you'll like." He smiles at him slyly. "Come see. It was a bit on the expensive side, but I think you'll agree that it was well worth it." Itachi offers his Mate his hand.

Expensive, and enough to get Itachi smiling like that? “…Fine…” Sasuke could let himself be dragged out of bed for that. He rolls back over and reaches for a yukata, slipping it on before reaching for his mate’s gentle hand.

Itachi smiles at Sasuke’s compliance. "You talked about it before, but I took some initiative." The mirror room. His Mate was apparently rather exotic when it came to his tastes. With that thought in mind, he leads Sasuke off to the newly minted mirror room, carefully opening the door. He’d been working on it for a couple of days, and was eager to open the door and show his mate. "Do you like it?"

Sasuke blinks at the sight of one of the spare rooms, done up so that every surface had shaped, curved, and angled mirrors installed across them. He could see himself from every angle as he walked into the kaleidoscopic room. “…The room of mirrors.” And the fact that there was a low, circular bed set up in the middle of the room was very telling. “Well, you’ve definitely distracted me.” If his opponents back in the day had known that this is what it would take to accomplish that much, he might have seen more challenges in his career.

"Good." Itachi kisses him. "This was what you wanted, wasn't it?" He desperately needed to get his Mate's mind out of his current melancholy. "To be able to watch us making love from every angle?"

“Mhm…” That was definitely one of Sasuke’s ideas, though he hadn’t expected Itachi to go for it so…readily. This room could turn anyone into a bit of a voyeur.

It seemed that his mate was stretching his wings and soaring out into the world of eroticism and kink. Sasuke’s lips curl into a hint of a smirk. “I suppose this explains what you were doing the last two days.” He wraps an arm around Itachi’s neck, kissing his mate back fiercely. Yep…his mate looking gorgeous in a room full of mirrors…perfect distraction.

Itachi moans into the kiss. "Mmm…well it did require a good bit of planning." He laughs at the thought. " Chouji was rather curious about what I wanted all the mirrors for as well, but I didn't tell him."

Sasuke hums softly. “I can see why you were an engineer.” He glances around once more. “With this kind of mind, you could be an architect.” If the results were like this, he certainly wouldn’t mind letting Itachi make a few…modifications to the inside of the estate.

"Flattery will get you everywhere." The younger vampire smiles slyly at him. Pleased at the praise. "Do continue to go on and stroke my ego or anything else that you like a bit more." He laughs softly at his innuendo and reaches for the obi of Sasuke’s black silk yukata, tugging on it, and loosening the fabric so that it slides off Sasuke’s shoulders and pools around him.

“Alright.” Sasuke flicks open the button of Itachi’s wonderfully form-fitting jeans, then drags down the zipper, enabling him to separate the pants from Itachi’s hips. “You asked for it.” Sasuke smirks when he notes that there was nothing underneath to prevent him from wrapping his fingers around Itachi’s very obvious arousal. His mate planned well.

Itachi groans at the touch. "Yes, I did." He asked for it and was hoping to receive all that and more. He could be quite greedy when it came to Sasuke's affections.

While one of his hands works Itachi’s cock, alternating the pressure of each of his fingers as he strokes along the shaft, Sasuke raises his other hand to Itachi’s shirt, pushing it up inch by inch, baring the smooth skin beneath. “Someone’s eager, you’re already throbbing. Maybe Kakashi and I aren’t the only nymphos in the family.”

"Must be genetic. Along with our stubbornness and fortunate good looks." Itachi laughs as she groans and bucks into Sasuke's hands. "And while I haven't checked Indra, we do seem to be rather well endowed as a whole so far." And he hadn't checked Kakashi either, though technically Kakashi wasn't an Uchiha by blood. So it wouldn't have been fair to include him anyway.

“Mhm, that’s true.” Sasuke smirks as he turns them around, backing Itachi towards the bed. “And since you put so much effort into this room, it’s only fitting that you experience the benefits of it first.” And with a single hand, Sasuke pushes Itachi down to lie flat against the bed, cock standing straight as Sasuke crawls down his mate’s body. “Would you like that?” He presses a teasing lick to the head of Itachi’s cock.

He groans at the lick and nods dumbly. "Yes, I would very much like that." His voice was already dripping with undisguised lust, but who could blame him? Sasuke was already teasing him with the promise of sex. Honestly, there was no way to resist such a sinfully good invitation.

Chuckling, Sasuke descends on Itachi’s cock, taking it slowly, ever so slowly into his mouth, so that Itachi could take in every second of it. At the same time, he did his best not to look at himself right now, as that could get a little too distracting. His tongue slides up and down the length as he takes a little more into his mouth, grazing his teeth along the skin.

"Fuck!" God that felt good and it was amazing to watch Sasuke suck him off from every conceivable direction. "Feels so good." He pants and runs his fingers through the other man's hair. The locks of hair that drove him crazy with their surprising softness.

Completely enveloping Itachi’s cock with his mouth, Sasuke bobs his head slowly, but increases his speed incrementally as Itachi’s fingers tug on his hair. He was driving his mate to madness, and he enjoyed every second of it. So much so, that he adds a small hum deep in his throat, sending vibrations back up the length of his mate’s cock.

He was going to cum if Sasuke kept that up. "Sasuke!" The evil tease. How as he supposed to not explode when Sasuke was teasing him so wonderfully.

Sasuke opens his eyes, looking up towards Itachi, and smiling slightly as he gives the erection a few more harsh sucks. His red eyes glitter with lust and love, his mind focused solely on the wondrous being lying beneath him.

"Fuck!" He couldn't hold back anymore. He lost the battle for control and spilled his release into Sasuke’s wonderfully wicked mouth.

Sasuke swallows down everything, licking Itachi clean as he prowls back up the lightly sun-kissed body to give his mate a kiss. “So, was it a good show?”

"A very good show." He growls in approval as he kisses him hungrily. "The mirrors were a good idea." He had such a clever Mate.

“And your execution of that idea was perfect.” Sasuke laughs softly, breaking the kiss to trail hot, firm kisses down Itachi’s neck, and onto his chest. “Just imagine all the things we’ll be able to look at…”

He blushes hotly at that. "It does open up a world of interesting possibilities." God that felt good. Itachi leans into his touch and wraps his legs around his Mate's ass. Sasuke had a such a nice, firm ass. He should know. Itachi had had the privilege of bending it over on more than one occasion.

Sasuke smiles at the sight of his flustered mate as he leaves lovebites across every inch of skin. A dark pink blush did so suit his mate’s pretty face. “I hope that you at least stocked the room.” If not, well…Sasuke had a few ideas about that.

"What do you mean by stock the room?" Itachi looks up at him in confusion. Though he enjoys the feelings of the lovebites. "I did bring lubrication if that's what you're asking."

“Good, then fetch it for me.” Sasuke could always just stock the room with other things later, then. Combining kinks could produce very interesting, and extremely sexy results.

Itachi whines at having to leave the warmth of his Mate's heated caresses before quickly reaching over the side of the bed and opening a drawer underneath. "Here were are. I went with raspberry this time."

Sasuke chuckles. “You really love your berries, don’t you?” Though personally, he did have a thing for tomatoes. Maybe their family just really liked fruit for some reason. In any case, it certainly mixed very well with the taste-scent of Itachi’s blood. Spicy milk chocolate and wild raspberry…

"Well the scent is pleasing and they are a popular flavor." Itachi blushes slightly at the observation. "Besides, you have a tomato fetish.”

He coats his fingers in the fragrant gel, lowering them to circle Itachi’s entrance teasingly. “You’re so cute when you’re needy.”

I’m not cute." Itachi grumbles at the accusation.

“If that’s what you want to tell yourself.” Sasuke dips a finger inside his mate, swirling it around as he reaches for Itachi’s spot. “We both know that’s a lie, though.”

Itachi moans when the other vampire hits his spot. "You wish." Though his words were probably less than convincing when he was moaning at his Mate's touch, Itachi figured it was the principle of the thing.

“Don’t have to.” Sasuke retaliates by pressing a second finger into Itachi, stretching his mate with a smirk on his face. “You make it come true.” His smirk softens a little. “You make a lot of wishes come true.”

"So do you." Itachi smiles as he leans forward enough to kiss him. "Even if you're delusional enough to think that I’m cute."

Sasuke chuckles softly, kissing back as he inserts a third finger and runs his free hand back up Itachi’s chest. “Then I suppose that you’ll have to prove me wrong later.”

He would most assuredly do so. "Alright." Itachi was planning on taking control in a big way. "If you think you can handle that, of course."

“Depends on how you handle this.” Sasuke’s smirk returns as he removes his fingers, replacing them with his cock in one smooth motion. After all, Itachi gave him a surprise, so why not return that favor before Itachi returned another one?

"Fuck!" Itachi moans. He hadn't expected a sneak attack. "You sneaky bastard." He supposed he should have expected it though. Sasuke was a ninja.

“Thank you.” Sasuke smirks as he hits Itachi with a series of powerful thrusts right off the bat. “I do my best.” After all, it was no insult to a ninja to be called sneaky.

He groans and arches back against him. "You s-succeed." This was a beautiful insanity and he loved every second of it.

Sasuke leans forward, pressing one hand to the sheets, while the other tangles itself in Itachi’s hair. His lips descend on his mate’s, and the cool warmth of Itachi’s skin permeates Sasuke’s whole being as he pounds deep inside his beloved.

Itachi kisses back hungrily as he writhes in ecstasy underneath his Mate. This was perfection. There could be nothing better than the feeling of his beloved's embrace.

Wild and fiery, for a clan whose name, ironically, was entwined with the very element itself. One that, if applied correctly, could destroy them as easily as it gave them life. Entwined, just like the two of them as Sasuke aimed with precise thrusts, to drive his mate over the edge.

"S-Sasuke!" Itachi screams in bliss as he suddenly drowns in a sea of pleasure that was his release. "Fuck! Fuck!" It was an all consuming euphoria. His image and cries alike bounced from mirror to mirror, filling the entire room.

“Itachi!” Sasuke could feel and see his mate all around him, squeezing and rolling and driving him towards that inevitable edge of pleasure as well, tumbling him right over it. “Ah!” White hot pleasure coursed through his veins as he rode out the orgasm and peppered Itachi’s neck with fang-filled kisses.

It was a good thing that Itachi didn't actually need to breathe. "You're amazing." Because he had forgotten how to in that moment.

“And so are you.” Sasuke licks up a few stray drops of delicious blood, before pressing a deep, heated kiss to Itachi’s lips as he slides out of his mate. “Amazing and perfect and incredible…and precious…” His treasure.

"Yes, you are all those things." Itachi smiles slyly at him. "Though I do believe it is my turn." Before Sasuke could say anything, he found himself laying on his stomach and hears Itachi squeezing some of the lubrication onto his own fingers.

Well, this position was certainly familiar. Though the chains were absent this time, this…was the first position they’d made love in. So, Sasuke smiles as he lays his head down on his arms. “Tired of foreplay, I take it?”

"Well I am a fledgling." Itachi slides a finger inside Sasuke slowly. "It's only natural that I would want to skip to dessert."

“Of course.” Sasuke chuckles softly, pressing back against the intrusion, well used to it by now. Itachi had a way of getting anyone used to bottoming. “That also explains why you like berry-flavored lube so much.”

"Hm, I hadn't thought of it that way." There might be something that theory. "Anyway, tell me when you're ready, My Love." He adds a second finger and continues gently teasing his lover.

Sasuke presses back slightly, waiting a few moments until Itachi adds a third finger. “…Okay, I should be fine now.” And maybe he was a little impatient himself. Itachi had never been a slouch, of course, but lately, he’d been getting a lot better at coaxing out the orgasms. Sasuke REALLY liked that part of all their time in bed.

"Good." Itachi slides his fingers out of Sasuke and places several soft kisses along the back of his Mate's neck before sliding into him. "You're so damn tight." He groans in bliss at the feeling of being inside the other vampire again.

Yeah, and Itachi was…damn… Sasuke could see his mate sinking into him inch by inch. That is, until Itachi’s larger body obscured him almost completely from sight. “I-Itachi…” Sasuke’s hands clench reflexively. “I have an idea.”

"What's the idea?" He nips at the back of his neck playfully.

Sasuke’s cheeks heat up for a moment, before he pushes aside his embarrassment. “You’ll like it, I promise.” After all, if they were in a room full of mirrors, it was best to take full advantage of them.

So, he pushes himself up, raising up Itachi in the process, before pushing the both of them backwards, landing on Itachi’s lap, his knees spread out over top of Itachi’s. And like he thought, it was embarrassing to be so lewdly spread open. He could see EVERYTHING from a dozen different angles. Even more so when he sat up straight, placing his hands on Itachi’s knees for leverage “I’ve never tried it like this before, but…I though we might…give it a shot.”

"Well this is new." Itachi chuckles as he takes advantage of the position and thrusts up inside his mate. "Though you do look rather fuckable in this position. Even more so than usual." Which was not an easy feat to manage, Itachi thinks to himself as he slams into his lover.

Sasuke jolts upwards, before slamming back down on Itachi’s lap. “AH!” Well, it looked like he’d found a recipe for punishing his prostate. Itachi’s next thrust bounces him back up and, his toes barely touching the floor, he lifts himself back up, over and over as he settles into the new position and quickly bounces up and down on his mate’s lap, watching as his body greedily sucks in Itachi’s cock with every quickening motion.

"You're beautiful." Itachi nips his ear playfully as he continues burying himself deep inside his lover. "The mirrors suit you." It was incredible to watch the two of them become one in all the angles of the mirrors.

Sasuke would roll his eyes at the beautiful comment, but it was kind of hard to do when you had a huge cock buried in your ass, pounding you to high heaven and back. “Smart…ass…” He barely manages to resist the urge to pant as starts explode somewhere in his field of vision “AH! Itachi!” He was close, so close… “Harder!” He was riding Itachi as hard as he could, but right now…he still needed a little help.

Itachi strokes Sasuke as he thrusts up a little harder, the bed shaking beneath them. "Maybe, but you still like it." If he didn't, he wouldn't be this hard or riding Itachi’s cock so wantonly. It was a heady feeling, knowing that he could drive the other vampire to madness like this.

Though he felt the urge to smack his mate for a moment, it was all wiped from his mind as Sasuke’s orgasm hit him like a surprise attack from behind, and he was reduced to screaming Itachi’s name as he shot his release all over Itachi’s hand.

"Sasuke!" Itachi wasn't far behind his Mate, soon joining him in the ecstasy that only being with his lover could provide him with.

Trembling slightly from the force of the orgasm, Sasuke slumps back against his mate, able to see himself in his flushed, messy-haired, untidy entirety. In a dozen mirrors, he had the appearance of someone thoroughly ravished. He looked…almost human, actually. It was a nostalgic feeling. “…Hey, Itachi…?”

"Mmm?" Itachi looks at his Mate curiously as he indulges in a little afterglow cuddling.

“Next time, we should put candles in here.” Sasuke could just imagine the lights flickering in the mirrors, bathing them both in a soft glow. “Maybe some incense too.” It would be surreal. They could lose themselves for hours, days even.

That sounded rather lovely. "Yes, next time we'll have to do that." He smiles at the thought as he kisses the top of Sasuke's head.

“Yeah…” Sasuke nods a little tiredly as he topples them onto the sheets, wrapping Itachi’s arms around him as he slides off his mate. “…Maybe surprises aren’t so bad…if you’re the one making them.”

"I'm glad you think so." Itachi smiles as he yawns and cuddles into his Mate. "I love you. Always and forever."

“Always and forever…” The words made Sasuke feel all…tingly inside. “My precious treasure…my heart…”

"Just as you are mine." The other vampire kisses him and caresses his face. "Now, get some sleep, My Love. God only knows what Suigetsu is planning to do for Aoda."

“Whatever it is, Karin can deal with it.” Because Sasuke sure as hell wasn’t going to. Not when he could spend all day cuddled up to his own personal miracle. His salvation. The best mate in the world. “I’m staying here.”

Itachi chuckles at that. "Alright." The half succubus could take care of it and they could just cuddle more. that sounded good to him.

* * *

 

Well Sassy had given him permission to find a playmate for Aoda. So that's exactly what Suigetsu was going to do. "She has to be amphibious." That way she could live in water or on land. The river that ran through the estate would be perfect for a smaller breed of dragon.

That was one question down as he went to the Sea of Japan to find a dragon and assumes his natural form. Sea Dragons hung out with mermen and mermaids all the time. So this should in theory be easy. There was just one problem. He was going to be asking a dragon to leave it's safe territory for a new one. One that it didn't necessarily know was safe. That was going to be a tough sell.

"Maybe a younger dragon." One who had just struck out on its own and come into maturity might be best. It'd save them from having to stake out a territory.

Unknown to humans, the oceans were full of dragons. They thought that creatures like the Loch Ness Monster or the Ogopogo were freak accidents, monsters, rarities in their world. They couldn’t be more wrong.

Down in the ocean, and especially in places like the Sea of Japan, you could find moulted dragon scales everywhere. …If you knew what you were looking for in the first place. Most commonly, they could be found around reefs, ravines, or underwater caves, where the dragons liked to set up their nests.

He decides to check a cave. That was probably were a young dragon would likely set up shop so to speak. They'd like the protection it could offer them.

Below the reefs, the caves could be found, some completely underwater, others connected to air pocket and underwater cliffs. And it was around one such cave, that several dull gray scales could be seen, already beginning to decompose.

"Well, I can see scales." They were probably a few days old. "So I'm probably close to a dragon." Suigetsu decides as he continues swimming around in search of a lady dragon.

As the merman swims his way inside the cave, a long aquamarine tail dips into the water, its fins cutting through the translucent green-hued liquid like a hot knife through butter. The webbed fins create small whirlpools within the water, batting them back and forth like a seal playing with a ball.

Perfect! "Hello." Suigetsu beams at the dragon. "My name is Suigetsu." He wasn't really sure what counted as attractive by dragon standards, but she seemed to be a looker to him and she was obviously playful. Aoda would like that.

The dragon gazes into the water, tilting her head at the merman who had chased her tail in. The webbed horns on her head flicked water droplets everywhere as she did so. “I am Kara.” She shifts onto her front legs, from which similarly webbed wings protruded. “What are you doing here?” Every part of her was a hue of shimmering blue, some lighter, some darker, some paler, some greener. But every scale was new and sparkling.

"Well actually, I was hoping to talk to you." Good. She seemed friendly. "How would you like a new territory?" Probably on the younger side, judging by how shiny those scales were too.

Her tail flicks out of the water, waving around behind her as she stares at him. “A new territory?” This was the territory she’d shared with her clutch-mates, and one by one, they were leaving the nest without her. “What new territory?”

"Well it would be on land, but there is a river that winds through it." Suigetsu smiles at her. He had to pitch this just right. "It has fish in it and some animals come to drink there. Plus there are gardens and a forest surrounding it." The implication of more food hung heavily in the air. "It's pretty secluded. I live there, so do a couple vampires, my half succubus mate, a half giant, and..." This was the most important part. "Another dragon, but don't worry. He's very friendly. He hasn't seen another of his kind before, so I'm sure that Aoda would be thrilled to meet you."

A land territory? She had never been on land before. These caves were the closest she’d come, apart from glimpsing it from a safe distance. Humans…were not friendly to her kind. “There is another dragon there?” That was the most puzzling part. “How has he survived on land? Are there no humans there?”

"Well like I said, it's pretty secluded. Private property." Did she understand that concept? "Meaning that no humans can enter it without permission. So yeah. You wouldn't have to worry about them. " He nods reassuringly. "And yeah, there’s another dragon."

No humans could enter without permission. Private property…she’d never heard that before. “I would…share this territory with you, these others, and another dragon?” Well, it’s not like she’d never shared with her clutch-mates before. “Is it large?”

Suigetsu nods at that. "It's about three and a half miles in every direction and seven across total." He smiles at her. "The river, the actual estate, the gardens, and the forest are all owned by a vampire named Sasuke Uchiha. So he determines who gets to come and go. No humans to worry about or if he lets any in, we'd make sure they didn't see you. It's so big that wouldn't be a problem."

A territory on land, owned but protected by another, where she could choose to be either on solid ground or in the water, with plentiful food sources, and then, the promise of another dragon, a male… That was quite the offer. And the merman was offering it seemingly for free. “Is there anything you would want in return?”

"Well...other than playing nicely with the other dragon, not really." He shakes his head. "Believe me, the estate is big enough that if you don't want nothing to do with anyone with two legs, you can avoid them easily enough by darting into the forest or staying under the water." He pauses and adds. "I haven't told Aoda about this. You're kinda a surprise, if you say yes."

“Aoda…” That must be the other dragon. “I am…a surprise…?” That was strange. Though…it was true that she did feel rather lonely all by herself in this cave. “Will the two-legs try to hunt me?”

"No two legs are going to try to hunt you." Suigetsu shakes his head. "Sasuke has the estate spelled, so they wouldn't be able to even find you on satellite. So unless he lets a human into the estate, there's no way for them to find you and even then, the odds are extremely low, since you can always slink off. We would warn you about any upcoming visitors." The merman smiles at him. "And yeah, you'd be a surprise. the best surprise possible."

“Oh. Well…” Dragons did rather enjoy being flattered, and she was no exception. And she supposed…if it was a place where she would be safe, have food, and maybe even another dragon to play with, that would be rather…nice. “How would I get to this new territory?”

"I would take you there." Suigetsu shows her a rather large collar suited for her. "You would wear this just long enough for us to get there. A witch spelled it. It will make you invisible. So I can just ride on your back and give you directions."

He wished to fly there? Kara could fly, certainly, she just did not do it often. And certainly not with a merman on her back. “The humans will not be able to see me, then?” That was a rather important detail to be sure of. “Would you be comfortable leaving the water?”

"Oh yes, I can form legs when I want to for short periods of time anyway." Suigetsu nods at her reassuringly. "They wouldn't be able to see you. This spell is fool proof. Here, I'll prove it to you." He places the collar around his waist and disappears. "See? Well I guess you don't see now, but you know what I mean." With that being said, he takes it off and reforms.

What a strange little merman, to be inviting her onto land to take a new territory, and live with vampires, giants, and demons, as well as another dragon. It was perplexing, but also, a very attractive offer. “I…will go with you, Suigetsu.” So, she lowers her head into the water, the rest of her body slipping in after it.

"Great!" He smiles and pets her as they take off. "Alright so we're heading to this old place that used to be called Iga. That's about from here to the mainland, and half as much again."

“Iga?” She’d never heard of such a place. But then, she did not know the names of the places where humans dwelt. “I see. Then we can return you to your home before the sun sets.” Such a long journey would take the rest of the day, if she flew, perhaps less if she flew very quickly.

"Yup!" He smiles. "That's the place. Aoda is going to be over the Moon when he sees you." Suigetsu wasn't exactly sure how matchmaking worked for dragons, but considering Aoda had never seen another dragon...let alone a female, he was pretty confident that the male dragon would definitely be digging Kara.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celestia193's Author's Note: This is the final chapter, but Silver has decided to leave up the possibility of us doing a sequel for this story since there seems to be some interest in one. Let us know what you think of the idea.

The journey took a bit longer than expected, but that was mostly because the merman turned out to be a wonderfully conversational person. "You were not exaggerating when you said it was seven miles across." He constantly was regaling her with various tales about the supernatural beings who lived at the estate and Aoda. So she ended up getting distracted for a while there, but eventually they came upon the beautiful estate.

It was so vast. She could see the actual buildings, the forest, and the grounds. There was even a river running through it that would make a perfect place for her to nest. She didn't see the other dragon yet though, but she could smell the scent. It was just so saturated that, she couldn't tell where he was exactly...probably because he'd lived here for awhile, she suspected.

The resident dragon, on the other hand, could smell a foreign scent with Suigetsu as the two made their approach. And like the good guard dragon he was, he got to his feet, after having been lounging in the courtyard all day, and looks to the sky, eyes peeled, just in case there was danger.

"Yep." Suigetsu grins and smiles, feeling rather pleased with himself. "I imagine Aoda will be coming to greet us soon. He might be shocked at first or a bit aggressive. He's very much the guardian of the estate."

Kara wasn't sure how she felt about that. Aggressive? What kind of dragon was Aoda anyway? He was probably bigger than her because she a fairly small breed. Sure, there were smaller ones out there, but no one would accuse her breed of being one of the leviathans.

"And you're sure that he'll be friendly." The dragon was now beginning to fret. "I don't want to...battle him for the territory." Not when he was apparently this well established and good land territories were exceedingly hard to come by. It was one thing to find a good spot in the ocean, but on land it was far more difficult because humans were everywhere these days.

Aoda ambles out of the courtyard, nose on the approaching…thing in the sky. He couldn’t see it, but he could definitely smell it. It smelled like the merman, but also…not. It smelled nice, but strange, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.

"Yeah. I'm sure he'll be okay." Suigetsu smiles and pats her. "He's just got to get to know you." Oh shoot. The cloak. "We're in the Estate now, so we can take the collar off." He quickly slides that off her. "There that's better." That should send Aoda running, err flying.

The purple dragon blinks at the sight of the blue…thing in the sky, not much smaller than him. And there was the merman, riding on his…her…its back. They were on the approach, so he paws at the ground, digging his claws into it as he launches himself into the air, gaining altitude quickly as he spirals above the estate, tilting his trajectory to intercept the approaching…thing.

Suigetsu grins at Aoda. "It's alright, Aoda." He pats Kara's head as if to prove it. "Don't worry, she's friendly. Kara this is Aoda. Aoda meet Kara." Hopefully, this would work. Aoda looked well...kinda freaked out but also curious.

She, this…thing was a she, a female. Aoda slows, flapping his wings to remain sort of hovering in mid-air. “She’s friendly?” If she was female, then she was like Suigetsu’s mate, the she-demon. “She is not here to hurt Master Sasuke?”

"Nah. She's not here to hurt Master Sasuke." He hadn't really thought of that, but Suigetsu should have. Aoda's first instinct was to protect Sasuke and everything else seemed secondary. "I told her that it was a big, safe territory, and that everyone was friendly here. Figured you'd like having another dragon around. To do dragon stuff with." Whatever that entailed.

The giant purple reptile blinks, staring at the blue female. She was a dragon too? “Oh.” Aoda blinks again, and his tail begins swishing back and forth as he slowly begins to lose altitude, descending towards the courtyard again.

Suigetsu guides Kara to a landing as the amphibious dragon looks at Aoda curiously. "So if you two hit it off, Sasuke already said she could stay." Suigetsu smiles at them. "If you don't, well I can always take her back to her old territory."

Aoda paws his way towards her, head lowered and nose out, sniffing curiously at her. She smelled good. So this was a female dragon? Her horns were strange, but they looked like those old crowns that Master Sasuke showed him in books. So, he sniffs at the ones on her back legs finding her scent a little stronger there.

If dragons could blush, Kara would have been blushing. Instead, she decides to sniff him right back. Since Aoda was taking such liberties with her and there didn't seem to be any real aggression in his approach, she could do the same to him.

"Yeah. She's a water dragon." Suigetsu nods. "There are a lot of different breeds of land and water dragons, but she's an amphibious one. So she can live on land or in water."

As Kara shifts, Aoda follows her, continuing to sniff at her, memorizing and familiarizing himself with the scent of this female. “We have a river, and a lake not too far from the house.” And she didn’t smell dangerous, that was good. Not like that bad snake smell from the bloody, rotting head out front. Aoda didn’t like the smell of that, but it was Master Sasuke’s trophy.

Suigetsu figures that was as close to a yippee as he was going to get from Aoda at the moment. "Yeah. That's what I was thinking." He figured that the other dragon would be doing cartwheels at seeing another dragon, but well it was all so new to him. He'd have to teach Aoda how to pick up chicks (well one female dragon) later. For now, he decides just to take it as a good sign they weren't attacking each other.

"They both sound nice." Kara smiles at him. Well as much as dragons could smile. Mostly she just pulls her lips back and her tongue wags slightly.

Upon seeing the ‘smile’, Aoda smiles back, his toothy grin full of razor sharp teeth, but his tail wagging happily. “The deepest spot in the river is close to the gates. Would you like to see?”

"Okay." Her tail sways, the dragon version of a dog wagging its tail when happy. "If you don't mind showing me."

“This way.” Aoda hums happily, tail swaying back and forth as he ambles towards the river, a huge dragon grin on his face. “I’ve never met another dragon before. You have very shiny scales.”

"Oh I guess that makes us somewhat even." She walks by him. "I've never met a land dragon and yes, I just shed my old ones a few days ago. So they're all nice and shiny. I mean they usually are, but they're always best when they're new." Her tail swishes proudly. "You know?"

“Oh yes. Master Sasuke sometimes rubs oil on my scales after moulting, or the half-giant, or the cook.” Aoda did love it when they made his scales all nice and shiny. “It takes away the itching too.”

"Oh that's nice of them." She'd never heard of two leggers doing that. "Sometimes my clutch-mates would clean my scales, but we were getting older and most of them have already left our nest by now." She had always been a bit more cautious by nature.

“Oh…” Aoda’s tail sweeps across the ground, curling around Kara’s. “I’m sure Master Sasuke will rub your scales too. Jugo is very good at it too, he has large hands, but rubs very gently.”

"Large hands are good." Humans tended to be on the small side compared to dragons, but Suigetsu had told her that Jugo was half giant... "Oil scales faster that way." She nods sagely.

“Exactly.” Aoda hums as they approach the edge of the river, and he dips his scaly toes in. “Master Sasuke taught me to swim when I was a hatchling.”

"That's good." She smiles and jumps right into the water, swimming around rapidly in circles happily.

Yes, yes it was. Aoda gets tugged into the water by the tail, rumbling in a mixture of surprise and delight as he splashes into the water.

* * *

 

Sasuke raises an eyebrow as he opens the front door to see what all of the commotion is about. “…You brought me another pet dragon?” THAT was what Suigetsu meant when he suggested getting Aoda a playmate?

"Well yeah." Suigetsu grins and points to them. "Just look how happy Aoda is to have a playmate."

The old vampire eyes the two splashing about in the water, before sighing and shaking his head. “Yes, I see. Though you could have warned me.” He wasn’t opposed to having a second dragon on the property, but he would have appreciated a word of warning, instead of a vague question asked while he was half asleep.

"Well I asked and you said yes." The merman smirks at that, feeling rather pleased with himself.

“Yes, after barging into my room and waking me up.” Sasuke whacks Suigetsu in the back of the head, before turning back inside. “You’re such a moron.”

"Well I'm a moron who outsmarted you." Suigetsu laughs at him. "I guess Itachi must have screwed your brains out or something."

“And I guess I should just compel you to go to Karin and ask her to peg you.” It would serve the idiot right, and get him out of Sasuke’s hair for a while.

Suigetsu backs away from Sasuke. "You're a sick vamp. Itachi has to watch out for you." Sheesh! That was twisted.

The eyebrow rises once more. “…You’re saying that to a male vampire, who is almost by default bisexual, and has an equally male and bisexual bloodmate.” Exactly what part of the shoving cocks up asses did Suigetsu not understand?

"Yeah well I very much prefer the female side of anatomy. You and Itachi can handle the receiving side of things." Sheesh! Suigetsu scurries off.

“Hn.” Sasuke rolls his eyes at the merman as he disappears from sight, leaning against the archway to the sitting room. And he was definitely not alone. “…I know you’re there. You’re still no good at hiding from me.”

"Should I be worried that my stealth skills apparently aren't up to par?" Itachi chuckles as he strides over to his Mate. "I can't believe he found another dragon." Itachi pauses and adds. "Sasuke, this is a bit awkward...but is Aoda fixed?"

“Of course not.” What a silly thing to ask. “Why would I ever castrate my pet dragon?” Sasuke wasn’t cruel, at least not to animals, besides, he’d never seen a need for it.

In that case, oh boy. "Did Suigetsu say...if it was a female dragon?" Because Itachi was doing the math and he expected there might be a sudden surge in their dragon population.

“He didn’t say, but the dragon definitely looked more like a female than Aoda.” Not that that bothered Sasuke, dragons were special, more so than humans, anyway. “Besides, if they have hatchlings, then that just means you can have your own pet guard dragon. It would help bring the land dragons back from the brink of extinction, too.”

"Oh good." Well if Sasuke wasn't worried about baby dragons, then Itachi supposed he wasn't either. "I wonder how many eggs they typically lay..."

“I think that it’s five to eight eggs per clutch, and usually about once every couple of decades, or so. And it’s a good clutch if more than half survive to maturity.” Sasuke wasn’t completely sure how it worked, but it worked well enough that the dragon population was never overwhelmingly high.

Itachi blinks at that. "Aoda would be absolutely devastated if some of the clutch didn't survive." Though those were probably 'wild' statistics. "I'm sure the odds improve dramatically under ideal conditions such as this though."

“Most likely.” Though Sasuke wondered if perhaps those conditions might make the clutch sizes decrease as an evolutionary balance. “In any case, if that one is a female, I expect that we’ll be seeing baby dragons crawling about within the next few years.” And probably trying to set things on fire. Or not, if their mother was a sea dragon. They might not breathe fire at all, actually.

"Maybe soon." Itachi didn't know anything about dragon fertility rates. "I imagine Aoda will be rather happy about seeing another dragon and he's always been such a friendly individual." Still it would prove interesting to see a crossbreed.

Sasuke smirks at the thought. “They’re already playing in the water together. They’ll be friends in no time.” And it did make him happy to see that Aoda would get his own chance at having a mate. Or, at the very least, someone of his own kind to spend time with. He would never be a wild dragon, but maybe some exposure to one would help him grow.

Itachi couldn't help, but laugh at that. It seemed Aoda enjoyed playing in the water as much as Sasuke enjoyed playing in the tub. "Good. I’m sure they'll be good friends soon too." He smiles and kisses Sasuke's cheek. "Just like us, only scalier."

And minus centuries of death, trauma, and bloodshed. But Sasuke wasn’t going to ruin the mood by saying that out loud. “Then maybe I should make sure to give Aoda some pointers later. He’s never interacted with another dragon before, so it would do him some good to know how to treat a female.”

"That's kind of you." The younger vampire snuggles into his lover. "Though I'm not really sure how much you know about female dragons either."

“I’ve met a couple, before they nearly went extinct. They were both excellent conversationalists.” Otherwise, how would Sasuke have figured out how to raise Aoda? “For example, they have this one spot they really like to have licked when they’re in heat.”

"..." Yeah. There was nothing Itachi could say that wouldn't sound vulgar. "Well it seems as though some things are universal then. Yes, he might find such information useful."

“I’m sure that he will.” Sasuke smirks at the rather traumatized expression on his mate’s face. “And I would be a very bad parent if I didn’t give him the talons and tails talk.”

"That would probably be a good idea." Itachi was pretty sure that it was largely instinctual for dragons, but who knew?

Sasuke chuckles, turning to wrap his arms around Itachi’s neck. “Well, at least I didn’t have to give you that talk. How DID they give that talk in the sixties, anyway?”

"There were a lot of references to gardens and water hoses or bees." Itachi nods at him. "Well at least that's what my parents told me. Though my father did at first try the eel in the cave metaphor." That one had creeped Itachi out enough that his mother had been forced to step in.

“…Apparently, sex education has really gone downhill.” At least talons and tails made sense, those were literal parts of dragon anatomy. But Sasuke couldn’t understand, for the life or death of him, what an eel in the cave was supposed to accomplish, apart from traumatizing the child. “…At least you haven’t tried to stick an eel into MY cave.”

"Well you see the eel as a metaphor for the man's....equipment and the cave for the woman's...well you know." Itachi shrugs at that. "It was....traumatizing at first because I took it too literally."

“Yes, so I gathered.” Honestly, Sasuke had never been so lax with Kakashi’s education. “I hope that Kakashi set you straight, because honestly, those explanations sound either useless, or like they belong in a horror movie.”

Itachi shakes his head and chuckles. "Well, obviously I had figured it out before I became a vampire." Itachi hadn't been THAT innocent as a human. Granted, it was nothing compared to the notches Sasuke and Kakashi had in their bedposts, but still.

“Yes, I imagine that you did.” Sasuke chuckles as he kisses his mate softly. “Though I’m rather glad that I wasn’t subjected to such terrifying ways of explaining sex. My basic training included the mechanics, and many tricks, just in case I needed them to seduce a target. And there were no…eels involved. Indra covered what pertained to sleeping with men later.” Not in a practical sense, but enough that Sasuke had been able to try it out on his own initiative.

Itachi smiles and kisses back. "Well I’m glad that your education was so thorough." He had certainly benefited from it.

Sasuke smirks into the kiss. “We could probably get you through another lesson before dinner.” Assuming, of course, that they remembered to come up for air sooner or later and didn’t miss it.

"I'm sure we could." Itachi smiles slyly at his Mate.

* * *

 

Indra smiles from a distance as he watches his childe with his mate. The two of them were such sweet children, and they most certainly deserved to be happy together. And now that he had ensured no further interference from Orochimaru’s favorite witch, it was up to him and his brother to organize the ferreting out of the rest of that snake’s network. He could handle such a thing easily, even from here in Japan. Asura had, after all, gotten him acquainted with a phone.

Though, perhaps coaxing Kakashi into explaining the functions of a computer might also be wise. It had been Asura’s next ‘project’, however, Indra had no plans to return to Europe as of yet. For now, being close to his childe and sire line was important. He had neglected Sasuke far too much, and he would be sure to rectify that situation now.

That, however, did NOT include watching his childe being taken on the floor of the sitting room. Which had Indra turning from the sitting room and retreating to the corridor, heading towards the kitchen, where he sensed his grand-childe’s presence. “Kakashi.”

"Yes, Indra?" His grand-childe smiles at him. "How can I help you?" Oh he probably wanted earplugs. "If this is what you're looking for, go ahead." He hands the ancient vampire earplugs. "Just in case you do not wish to overhear the sounds of their lovemaking."

Well, those might certainly be helpful, had Indra not heard far worse than the passionate cries of his childe in his day. “It’s fine, I came looking for you, actually.” Now that the young vampire had finally resurfaced from his many days romp with the vampiress. “I had several thoughts that might interest you.”

"Well...normally I would find such a proposition rather intriguing, but I just found my bloodmate." Kakashi smiles happily. "So I must politely decline any offer of physical companionship."

Indra chuckles and shakes his head. “No, Kakashi, I am not here to proposition you. I am far too attached to my own heart to do such a thing.” Especially to his grand-childe. “No, I simply thought that it might be a wise idea to calm things down, now that the snake has been dealt with. Sasuke and Itachi seem to be recovering from the incident, however, perhaps it would be best for them to finally have their ‘honeymoon’ as the humans call it.” Get them out of the house, while Indra made some modifications here and there, and prepared what needed preparing. “And perhaps you might help this ancient fossil to master a computer, before doing the same with your own lady.”

He chuckles at that last part. "I don't think that anyone could truly master Anko. We do deserve a proper Honeymoon, especially after everything that we've been through." She was quite the Hellcat and he had the marks on his back to prove it. "Though I would be delighted to teach you how to use a computer, first.”

“Good.” Indra smiles smugly. “I’m sure that it will take a mere day, perhaps two to grasp the entirety of this system that you young ones call the Internet.” It was something that he had heard Asura’s blond boy talk about incessantly. Apparently, it was downright magical to the youth of today.

"Well...I can teach you how to browse the Internet, but the Internet is so vast that one could never live long enough to visit all of it." Not that one would want to. There were some websites that even Kakashi didn't dare venture into.

The ancient vampires scoffs softly. “You clearly underestimate just how efficient I can be.” He had done many things that most would consider impossible to do, no matter how much time you had. And yet, here he was, over fifteen hundred years old, and now about to venture into a whole new realm of technology.

Kakashi chuckles and shakes his head. "Well there are desktops, laptops, tablets, cellphones with internet, and a whole host of devices you can get onto the internet with today." He takes him to Sasuke's computer in the study down the hall. "This is a desktop. The largest form you'll get on. For this one, you simply press this button here to turn it on."

A button to turn it on, just like a phone. Simple enough. “I see.” Indra presses the button, watching as it turns orange, then green, the screen flickering to life. “I take it that the colors are akin to traffic lights, and green indicates that it is ready?”

"In this particular model yes." Kakashi smiles at him. "Though different devices might turn different colors. You'll know when it's on because the screen will no longer be black."

“Yes, I can see that.” Well, what Indra could see was a picture of a moonlit night, the glowing orb hanging in the top left corner of the screen, stars flanking it over a meadow. It was very…calming. “And this screen?” It had Sasuke’s name on it, right there in the center, which clearly was not part of the picture.

"That's just the background. They range quite extensively. The background can be plain or rather elaborate. It's like a fashion choice really. Some humans love customized and fancy backgrounds and some don't care." Kakashi moves the mouse, clicking on the name in the middle of the screen, logging them in.

“I see.” Indra watches closely as the background disappears, changing to a new one with many small pictures littering the bottom, top, and sides of the sunset background. “And all of those pictures are…like the ‘apps’ on a phone, I take it?”

"Yep. Each picture has a different purpose." Kakashi points to one. "This is the button that leads to the Internet. You simply double click and it will lead you to your Internet homepage." With that being said, he demonstrates and continues to introduce Indra to the glory and the horrors of the Internet for the next several hours.

Needless to say, the ancient vampire was NOT impressed with some of this ‘human ingenuity’. “…Arse-biscuits…”

* * *

 

“So…” The two of them had finally relocated to the bed after some…fun in the living room. And Sasuke wasn’t sure how to say this to his mate without sounding like an idiot. “…My childe is teaching my sire how to use a computer.”

"Oh boy." Itachi blinks at that as he imagines all the delightful websites Indra was visiting. "This might not end well."

“Apparently, his opinion of humans has lowered into arse-biscuit territory.” At least, that’s what Kakashi had mentioned to him as he’d gotten up to retrieve some scotch from the kitchen. “It’s kind of…weird to imagine.”

"What does arse-biscuit mean?" That didn't make any sense to Itachi. "Actually, never mind.” Perhaps, he didn't want to know.

“Yeah, you don’t want to know.” Sasuke hadn’t really wanted to know either, but…Naruto. That Scottish vampire had a foul mouth at times, and that was just one of the many curses he’d heard come out of the blond’s mouth. “Apparently, my sire also thinks that we should get away from Japan and go on an actual honeymoon.” Even though, strictly speaking, they weren’t actually married. “Maybe a bloodmoon would be more accurate, but whatever…”

Oh. Hmm. Well that was an interesting suggestion. "I wouldn't be opposed to such a notion, if there was somewhere that you wanted to go." Though Itachi was perfectly happy here.

“Well…” Sasuke closes his eyes, thinking for a moment. “Monaco is nice this time of year. We could spend a month by the Mediterranean.”

"That sounds lovely." Itachi cuddles to him more. "Though anywhere with you is lovely." Unless of course you were Orochimaru and got decapitated.

“Then we can leave in the morning. Or in a couple of days.” For now, Sasuke didn’t really want to move much. He was too comfortable, wrapped up in Itachi’s arms. “We’ve got time…” He smiles softly. “We’ve got centuries.”

Itachi smiles wryly at that. "Perhaps even a couple millennia or more, actually." Centuries sounded good though. "Though that is probably how long the honeymoon period will last. Centuries."

Sasuke smirks, rolling them over and planting a kiss on Itachi’s lips. “Let’s get started, then.” And never…ever stop.


End file.
